When Houses Collide
by Mew Draiku
Summary: Harry PotterYuGiOh crossover! I had to try this. Malik, Yugi, and Ryou go to Hogwarts! There they meet Slytherins that look almost exactly like themselves. [yami x hikari, Harry x Draco] Yet again, I suck at summaries.
1. Talents and Owls

Hello, everyone! MEW here, and I started a Harry Potter Yu-Gi-Oh! crossover! Yay!

Draiku: It really isn't that good. (is smacked)

Mew: Shurrup. Anyhow, this is one of my first crossover fictions, except for that super-long one that I'm not even going to mention…

Draiku: You mean the one that's 254 pages? That one sucks.

Mew: And I agree with her. Plus, I'm not even going to post even part of it. So don't ask, please. NOW! On to the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Harry Potter. I wish that I did, though, because I'd be filthy rich.

Chapter 1: Talents and Owls

"I'm sleepy," Ryou murmured to his two friends as he sat on the floor. Malik and Yugi looked up.

"You're always sleepy," Malik replied cheekily. Yugi chuckled slightly.

"I have to agree with Malik, Ryou. You _are_ always tired," he commented slightly. He rolled a pair of dice onto the Monopoly game board. He moved his thimble eleven spaces. They were in the Kame Game store, after all, so why not play games?

"Well, I don't get enough sleep because Malik's always drawing, that's all he does. The scratches of the pencil keep me awake," Ryou insisted. Malik glared slightly.

"Oh-ho, blaming me, eh? Well, Yugi is always mixing stuff like Root Beer and Pepsi and whatever late at night. Plus, he uses the blender, so don't blame me for your insomnia," Malik replied in a growl.

"Hey! Those drinks usually turn out really good, and you know it! It's probably because you're always having those dreams, Ryou," Yugi replied. Malik blinked.

"What dreams?" he asked.

"W-well, I've been having these really strange dreams lately. Actually, ever since my eleventh birthday. I'll dream about something bad that's going to happen, and then the next day, it does happen. You remember when Malik couldn't find a drawing that he wanted to show us, and then while we were looking for it, we found a huge tiger, and it hurt you, Yugi? Well, I dreamt that that would happen," Ryou explained in a soft voice. Malik blinked again. "I-I'm worried that someday I'll dream that one of us will die…and that it will become true."

"Why didn't you tell me all this?" Malik asked.

"I thought that you would laugh at me," Ryou admitted. Yugi put his arms around Ryou's shoulders gently.

"Hey, don't worry Ryou. There is a good thing about dreaming the future. If one of us gets attacked in the dream, we'll know how to avoid it," he said.

"Y-yeah, I guess so," Ryou said quietly.

"Where did that tiger come from, anyway? I mean, it was in our house, wouldn't we notice?" Yugi brought up. Malik gripped the fabric of his pants and bit his lower lip nervously. "Would you know anything, Malik?"

"Yesterday I noticed a piece of blank notebook paper on my desk. It didn't have any eraser marks on it or anything, but parts of the blue lines were gone, in a specific pattern. Then I noticed…well, look," Malik said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a round, blue-striped ball. On one side of it there was a vertical pink line that went all the way around it, so it almost looked as if someone had taken a piece of notebook paper and curved it so it formed a sphere. "I was practicing drawing 3D shapes, and I thought that it would be cool to have a ball that looked like this. When I left my room for lunch and came back a bit later, the picture was gone, but sitting on the paper was this. Call me crazy, but I think that my drawing…came to life. Maybe that was what had happened with that tiger." Yugi and Ryou stared at their Egyptian friend.

"I believe you, Malik," Yugi said quietly. "Because a few days ago, when I was mixing some things together, something…weird happened."

"What happened?" Ryou asked.

"Well, I was experimenting with some new things, such as plant juices that aren't poisonous, mixed with other plant juices. I poured some of the mixture in a bigger container with a different mixture in it and drank it, to taste it, you know. Then I went outside to the garden and I nearly stepped onto a snake! But the weird thing is…I heard a hissing sound that kind of sounded like 'Hey! Watch where you're going, idiot!'. I was so frightened that I ran inside," he muttered. Now it was Malik's turn to stare at Yugi. "I didn't want to tell anyone, because I'd probably sound crazy…"

"Well, some pretty weird things have been happening to us, hm?" Malik said with a nervous laugh, as if he was trying to bring up their spirits. It didn't work too well.

"We should get to sleep," Ryou suggested. They all agreed and went to their rooms.

-

A tall, bearded man wearing small half-moon spectacles on the end of his nose was sitting at his desk, scribbling something down on a sheet of paper with a quill. He was wearing a pointed hat that had a spider crawling up it. Sitting next to his desk was a brightly colored bird with red and orange feathers. He paused for a moment, stroking his long, white beard, as if in deep thought. Quite suddenly, the doors to his office opened and in came a large black-bearded man who could easily reach a seven-foot high ceiling.

"Professor Dumbledore," he stated. The old professor looked up.

"Yes, Hagrid? Is this about the three new students we will have this year?" he asked. The other nodded.

"Yes, sir. But, but are you sure that it's a good idea t' be lettin' a few sixteen-year olds join wit' th' threat of You-know-who around?" he asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"I am positive, Hagrid. And you need not worry, these students have abilities that no other possess. If Voldemort"—Hagrid flinched a bit at the name—"were to send the Death Eaters into Hogwarts after them, they would be able to defend themselves. And besides, their equals are already at our school, who should be able to help them escalate their abilities even further." Hagrid gasped.

"Ya can't be talkin' about _those_ three, could ya?" he exclaimed. Dumbledore nodded again.

"I am, Hagrid."

"But they're from Slytherin!"

"That is not a reason to discriminate against them. They are fine students, you realize."

"But Slytherin was the house that You-know-who came from!"

"What is your point, Hagrid?" Dumbledore queried him. Hagrid fumbled for words foolishly.

"Well, um—er, what I meant was, uh, hm—oh! No, wait…"

"You see? I'll be sending the letters tomorrow. And I'm sending _you_ to take them to Diagon Alley. Since they have Muggle guardians, they will obviously not believe in such a thing as magic," Dumbledore informed. "You will also have to take them to the train station, and, if time allows, you'll take them to platform Nine and Three-quarters."

"Yes, sir," Hagrid answered in a rumbling voice. Dumbledore nodded.

"Good. Now, I must see to the other Professors about this. As you know, most students join Hogwarts at age eleven, but they'll be on their sixth years already, so of course they'll have to catch up," he added. Hagrid nodded and left the office.

-

Draco Malfoy sat back in a large chair tiredly. He stared out the window and saw one of his brothers, Yami, sitting on a broomstick and making faces at him. He glared and stood up, striding over to the window.

"Just because I was banned from my broom and you three weren't doesn't mean that you can make fun of it, Atemu!" he yelled in a furious voice.

"Oh! You're calling me by my surname! I'm deeply hurt, dear brother Draco!" Yami called back. Malfoy growled under his breath and showed his brothers a very, very rude hand signal. Yami, Bakura, and Marik all laughed loudly and clapped their hands with amusement.

"Honestly, Draco, whatever did we do to you?" Marik shouted, making a sad face at his brother. Malfoy cursed in a hiss and his eyelid twitched slightly. Bakura flew in through the balcony and landed gently. He set his broomstick standing against the wall, grinning at Malfoy.

"Yes, Draco, what did we do to you?" he asked in a mock worried tone.

"Oh, shut up. School will be starting quite soon, anyway. We _should_ be studying," Malfoy growled. Bakura chuckled as Marik and Yami flew in and landed.

"True, true, dear brother, but what's the harm in having a little fun once in a while?" Marik asked.

"I agree with Marik. You've changed, Draco," Yami commented. "It's almost as if the Dark Lord is right behind you, wanting you to screw up so he can place the Cruciatus Curse upon you." Malfoy shot him a dark look. He blinked, suddenly realizing that Bakura was gone.

"Where did Touzoku go?" he asked, looking around. Marik and Yami both chuckled. Quite suddenly, Malfoy was tackled by a somewhat large fox with green eyes and white mane. "Hey!" Malfoy yelled. "What is this!"

"That would be Bakura," Marik said. "He's an Animagus now. Of course, he's unlisted. I am, too. Yami's working on becoming one, also."

"But you three already have your own 'special abilities'! You don't need to become Animaguses!" Malfoy objected as Bakura pranced around him. Marik chuckled again.

"Sure, but being an Animagus is so much fun," he replied. Bakura stopped leaping over Malfoy and became a human once more. He stood with a smug expression upon his face.

"Isn't it fun enough to be able to control fire?" Malfoy complained.

"Keep in mind that I can't create it. That's why I have the lighter," Marik replied, holding up a cigarette lighter with a lion on it. Malfoy scowled.

"And let me guess," he said to Yami, "being able to walk through shadows isn't good enough for you?" Yami nodded.

"Precisely," he answered.

"What about you, Bakura?" Malfoy asked.

"Well, sure, being able to speak with animals is fun and all, but not fun enough. Besides, becoming an animal is much, much better," Bakura said with a grin.

"What can you become, anyway, Marik?" Malfoy said, sitting in the large chair once more. Marik smirked.

"Just watch me," he said. He grew larger and his hair became even more out of control than usual. He grew a long tail with a tuff of fur on the end and continued to grow hair all over his body until the transformation was complete. Standing in front of Malfoy was a huge, full-grown lion. Malfoy gasped.

"You're kidding!" he exclaimed. Marik purred in amusement and changed back.

"Yami's trying to be able to transform into a unicorn," he added. Yami nodded.

"Whenever I try to transform, I become some sort of centaur with a unicorn's horn on his forehead. I think that I'll just stick with that, it would be handy to have opposable thumbs, you know."

-

Yugi awoke the next morning to see Malik petting a small cat that was colored a very vivid orange and had black stripes.

"Wh-what's that?" Yugi asked. The cat did not look normal at all.

"I drew him last night," Malik said. He had a very surprised expression on his face. "He woke me up this morning."

"Y-you're kidding me," Yugi muttered. Malik shook his head.

"I'm not. And I can't just get rid of him, I mean, I made him! What am I supposed to do?" he asked.

"Name him?" Yugi suggested.

"Yeah, but what?" Malik replied. Yugi shrugged.

"He's your cat, you know," he answered. Malik sighed.

"Well…" He picked up the paper that the cat had once lived on. The cat jumped from Malik's lap and limped over to Yugi. Malik gasped. "He's got a bad leg, and I drew it like that!" he exclaimed. Yugi scooped up the cat gently.

"I don't think that he minds. He seems perfectly happy, you know," he said, tickling the cat behind its ears.

"Well, I want to make it up to him." Malik picked up his pencil and set the paper on the table. He drew two black, feathery wings on the cat's back and carefully inked and colored them. The wings faded slightly, but they reappeared on the live cat's back. Malik gasped.

"Wow!" Yugi said.

"Can you fly, kitty?" Malik asked. The cat squirmed out of Yugi's arms and flapped his wings once. He began hovering at first, until finally, he was flying around the room. "He needs to be able to steer better," Malik murmured. He looked at the faded picture of the cat and drew some tail feathers on the tip of its tail.

The live cat grew them in and flew smoothly, unlike before, how it had wobbled and almost crashed. The cat landed in Malik's arms and licked his face. Ryou suddenly woke up with a gasp.

"Malik! I dreamt that you had this cat, and it was walking across the street, but then it was hit!" he exclaimed. Malik blinked and looked to Ryou.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, the cat was limping across the street, and suddenly this huge truck came towards it! It tried to get away, but it was too late," Ryou replied quietly. Malik gasped and held onto the winged cat tightly.

"Then he shouldn't go out today at all," he murmured. Ryou blinked.

"W-where'd you get the cat?" he asked.

"I drew him," Malik replied quietly. The cat wriggled from his grasp and jumped to the floor, stretching his wings and legs. Ryou gasped.

"H-he has wings!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, he has a bad leg, so I gave him wings to make up for that," Malik said, smiling at the mammal. Ryou blinked again.

"W-wow," he stated dumbly.

"What should I name him?" Malik asked. Ryou got out of his bed and walked over to the cat, stroking it.

"How about…Tigerwings?" he suggested.

"That's a great name for him! He has wings, and he looks like a tiger!" Malik said happily. "Do you like the name, Tigerwings?" he asked. Tigerwings responded with a purr.

"Okay! Tigerwings it is, then!" Yugi said with a grin. Quite suddenly, they heard a tapping noise at their window. They all looked in the direction of the sound and blinked once they saw what was making it.

Sitting in the flowerbox just outside of the window was a large owl with big, round, staring eyes. It had little feathers sticking up on its head that resembled horns.

"That's a great horned owl," Ryou muttered. "But why is it here?" Malik pointed.

"Look, there are letters tied to its leg!" he exclaimed. He opened the window and let the huge bird in. He untied the letters and looked at them. He handed one to Yugi and one to Ryou, and kept the third for himself. He blinked, reading the jade-green letters on the front.

Mr. M. Ishtar

The second largest upstairs bedroom

Chibi Street

Domino

Japan

Malik blinked.

"There's no return address," Ryou muttered. They were about to open them, when suddenly, there was a huge banging noise coming from downstairs. The three jumped in surprise, and nervously went down the stairs. Tigerwings followed them slowly, and he meowed in happiness. He dashed towards the door, and the banging stopped. Then the doorbell rang.

Malik nervously stepped forward and looked through the peephole on the door. He didn't see anyone, only an elbow. He felt faint, and nervously opened the door. Ryou and Yugi tried to stop him by making hissing noises, but he didn't. He looked up, his eyes wide.

"Hey, there! You mus' be Ryou Bakura, eh?" said the huge, black-bearded man in front of him. Malik blinked once, rubbed his eyes, and opened them again.

"I-I'm M-Malik," he mumbled nervously.

"Eh? You are? Well, ya looked like a Ryou t' me," the man said.

"Um, who are you?" Malik asked. He was quite shaken, partly because his guardians weren't at home at the moment, but mostly because a gigantic man knew his name, Ryou's, and most likely Yugi's, too.

"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Surely you know all about Hogwarts?" he said in a cheerful voice. Malik shook his head.

"Sounds like an unwanted growth on a pig's snout," he answered. Hagrid blinked.

"Ya don' know about Hogwarts?" he asked. Malik nodded.

"Yeah. Neither do my friends," he said. The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, in that case, I'll have t' explain it t' ya. Where are your friends, by th' way?" he asked. Malik pointed at Yugi and Ryou.

"Right over there," he answered dumbly. Hagrid shuffled in and sat on the couch.

"I see that ya all got yer letters, right?" he asked. They nodded.

"Y-yes," they answered.

"Good. Have ya opened 'em, yet?"

"No, we got them a few minutes ago," Yugi replied.

"Alrighty then!" Hagrid pulled out some cups and a large jug. He poured a brown liquid into each of them. "I hope y' all like tea," he said. Malik, who obsessed over tea and coffee, grinned.

"Heck, yes!" he said, taking the cup from Hagrid eagerly and drinking most of it down. Yugi and Ryou took theirs nervously, still a bit suspicious.

"Well," Hagrid started, taking a sip of tea from his cup. He took Malik's letter gently and flipped it over. On the back of the letter was a seal bearing a lion, a snake, a badger, and an eagle surround a large letter "H". "This here is the seal of Hogwarts, the finest school of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Excuse me," Ryou said. "School?" Hagrid nodded.

"Well, yeah! How else do ya think wizards and witches learn the basics?" he said.

"From their parents…or from, uh, evil spirits that contact them?" Ryou suggested. Hagrid, who had just been drinking his tea, spat it out and laughed loudly.

"You think that evil spirits told 'em all they know?" he said, slapping his thigh with a gigantic hand. "Kid, you got it all wrong—wizards and witches go to school, where they're taught, jus' like normal Muggle kids!"

"What's a… 'Muggle'?" Yugi asked curiously.

"Non-magic folk. But anyway, you three'll be going t' Hogwarts." Yugi, Malik, and Ryou blinked.

"But we don't know any magic. We're…um, Muggles," Yugi objected. Hagrid laughed yet again.

"I'll put it this way, have any o' you done anything that y' couldn't explain?" he asked. Malik nervously raised his hand.

"W-well, last night I drew a pretty good picture of a cat. The next morning, a cat that looked exactly like the one I drew woke me up. In fact, here he is," Malik said, and Tigerwings jumped into his lap. Hagrid stared at the winged cat.

"You drew him?" he asked. Malik nodded.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Last night I dreamt that we were walking outside with a man that looked like you, Hagrid, and Tigerwings—that's Malik's cat—got hit by a truck!" Ryou said. "And know I think that it's gonna come true, because you're here telling us all this." Hagrid turned to Yugi.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Um, well, a few days ago I was out in the garden. Well, this happened after I made a mixture. Anyway, I almost stepped on a little Gardner snake, when suddenly I heard this hissing noise that sounded like 'Watch where you're going, you idiot!'. I'm sure that I was just imagining it, though," Yugi insisted. Hagrid stared at him.

"You made a potion that can make someone into a Parseltongue?" he asked.

"Um, excuse me?" Yugi replied.

"You could understand the snake, right?"

"I-I guess so."

"Could you understand snakes before?"

"N-no, of course not."

"And this happened _after_ you drank the potion?"

"Yes."

"Kid, you just invented a potion that'll make the drinker a Parseltongue!" Hagrid exclaimed.

"What's a…Parseltongue?" Ryou asked.

"A person who can talk with snakes! O' course, most people probably wouldn't think that's a good thing, after all, You-know-who was a Parseltongue," Hagrid mumbled darkly.

"Um, who's you-know-who?" Malik asked curiously.

"You don't know You-know-who?"

"No."

"He's a very, very dark wizard, one who killed many others. Very evil sorta fellow, not one you'd like t' meet," he answered.

"What was his name?"

"His name is V--," Hagrid paused. "V—."

"Could you write it down?" Malik suggested.

"Can't spell it, okay, his name is _Voldemort_. Now don't go around sayin' that name aloud, y' hear? Most wizards or witches won't tolerate it," he warned. The three nodded. "Now, anyway, back to th' topic. You three are _wizards_, not Muggle folk," he said with a smile. Yugi, Ryou, and Malik gasped.

"But we can't be wizards, we don't know so much as a spell!" Malik exclaimed.

"Well, y' are, but y' just haven't been notified for a few years. You were supposed t' join Hogwarts at age eleven, but I guess with th' death o' your parents and the fact that your guardians at the moment are Muggle folk delayed it," he said.

"H-how did you know about our parents' deaths?" Yugi asked quietly.

"Every wizard knows who You-know-who killed last," Hagrid replied.

"Then why didn't they tell us this…?" Ryou asked, his eyes wide with sorrow.

"M-maybe so that Voldemort wouldn't go after us…?" Malik suggested, though unsure of his own suggestion. They all sighed.

"A-anyway, you three are wizards, so it's my duty t' take you to get your supplies and such," Hagrid said.

"Do we get wands?" Yugi asked, perking up slightly.

"Well, o' course you do! Come on, Dumbledore's already informed your guardians," he said. They followed Hagrid out of the house after getting dressed and packing extra clothes. Malik held on to Tigerwings tightly.

Suddenly, Tigerwings managed to get loose, and he ran towards the street after a squirrel. Malik cried for him to stop, but the cat wouldn't listen. A truck came speeding down the road, and Tigerwings wouldn't be able to get away fast enough. There was a hiss and the truck zoomed by. Tigerwings was gone. Malik stared in disbelief at the empty road where Tigerwings had once sat. Then he heard a meow and Tigerwings flew down to him and into his arms.

"He's alive!" Malik exclaimed happily. Hagrid sighed in relief. Yugi turned to Ryou.

"Did the cat in your dream have wings?" he asked. Ryou shook his head.

"No, he didn't," he said quietly, yet happily. They continued on.

TBC

Mew: Sorry for the slightly sudden ending. Really. I don't think that I'm quite awake at the moment.

Draiku: You're never awake. You're always typing, even though you look dead.

Mew: Shurrup.

Yoko: Go to the next chapter, since we submitted three at the same time.


	2. Supplies,Slytherins,Sorting, and Swings

HELLO EVERYBODY! Chappie numbah TWO is up! (Okay, so it's not that big of an accomplishment, but I'm still excited.)

Draiku: You're always excited about the littlest things.

Mew: Hush. The people want to read this. (That's why you're here, right?) Let's get started!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Harry Potter. But God, I wish that I did. I could buy all the doujinshis in the world with the money…oh well. A girl can dream.

Chapter 2: Supplies, Slytherins, Sorting, and (mood) Swings

After a very long airplane trip and a short drive, Malik, Ryou, Yugi and Hagrid arrived in London. Malik didn't know why they were in London, there didn't seem to be any supplies that they needed there.

"Hagrid," he said, looking up. "Why are we in London? There don't seem to be any wizard shops." Hagrid chuckled slightly.

"Well, once we get down this street you'll see why," he said. Malik blinked, but soon the came upon a small, run-down place between two bigger, more fancy shops. It was called "The Leaky Cauldron". They walked right in and discovered that it was a bar, and a most peculiar bar at that.

Sitting at the tables were people dressed in long robes and pointed hats, drinking a fizzy green substance.

"Th' usual fer ya, Hagrid?" the barkeep called.

"No, thank you, I'm here on official Hogwarts business," Hagrid replied with a smile.

"Ah, new students, eh? Are they famous, just like last time?"

"They should be soon enough." The three teens blinked.

"Hagrid, I don't think that we'll ever be famous," Ryou said with a light chuckle. "I mean, we're just newbies to this kind of thing."

"Yeah, I mean, we're nothing special. I bet that tons of other wizard's drawings can come to life, too," Malik added.

"You really think so?" Hagrid asked.

"Well, yeah! Wizards can do anything…right?"

"Not true at all, actually, no one that I've heard of could make their drawings come t' life, you're th' only one, Malik. And I've never heard o' a potion that could make whoever drinks it into a Parseltongue, Yugi. I've also never known anyone who could see th' future as vividly as y' do, Ryou. And that professor that claims that she can is a big hoax," Hagrid replied. They all blinked again, and soon entered a small room with a brick wall.

Hagrid used the tip of his pink umbrella to tap a few of the bricks, and suddenly, the bricks shifted and moved until they made an entire arch. Malik, Yugi, and Ryou gasped at the sight before them.

All around them were wizards and witches of every size, shape, and color, bargaining for various items and gawking at the latest model in broomsticks. In one shop there were owls in cages, cats sitting in the windows, and toads swimming about in pond water (Tigerwings jeered at a small kitten that glared jealously at him). There was a shop filled with cauldrons, and another called "Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.".

"This…" Hagrid announced. "Is Diagon Alley!" The walked into the alley, all speechless.

"How are we going to afford all this?" Malik suddenly asked, pointing at his supply list.

"Well, we go the Gringotts, the bank 'round here," Hagrid answered simply.

"But we only have Muggle money," Ryou said, holding up a 100 yen billfold.

"I'm sure that yer parents left y' somethin', now c'mon, we need t' hurry," he urged. They rushed to a large marble building.

"This is Gringotts, right?" Yugi asked.

"Yup! Ain't no safer place anywhere!" Hagrid said with a grin. They entered, and all around them scurried short men. "Them are goblins, y' might not want t' mess with 'em," Hagrid cautioned. They walked up to a goblin sitting at a counter. "We're here to withdraw some money fer these three, vaults 289, 340, and 565," Hagrid said.

"Do they have their keys?" the goblin replied. Hagrid nodded, holding up three small, golden keys. They were taken to an underground tunnel, riding on a wooden vehicle. They stopped at vault 289.

"This is yours, Malik," Hagrid said. The goblin opened the vault and Malik gasped.

Sitting all around the vault were gigantic stacks of golden, silver, and bronze coins.

"You can take all you need," the goblin said. Malik nodded and stepped in. He grabbed a few handfuls of golden coins, took four handfuls of silver, and five of bronze. He could easily determine which ones were worth more based on their appearance. He put them all in a small bag and stepped out of the vault, thanking the goblin.

Yugi and Ryou had the same result. Each had enough money to afford all the supplies they needed and more.

"See? I told ya," Hagrid said, patting Malik's back cheerfully. They walked through the crowded street, buying cauldrons, books, gloves, clothing, and various other things. Ryou looked at his paper.

"Do we need an owl?" he asked. Hagrid shrugged.

"Well, they're great, friendly critters, and y' can use 'em t' contact yer family and such while yer at school," he said. "Hogwarts just made a new rule sayin' that crows are allowed, too. They do everything that owls do, 'cept some kids think that they gots their own personalities that are so different ya'd think they were humans." Ryou gazed at a crow in the window of the owlry. He smiled.

"I think that I'm going to get a crow!" he said with a grin. He hurried into the store and came out with a sleek, black crow perched on his shoulder.

"Wow!" Malik said. "He's so tame!" The crow sneered at Tigerwings, and the cat hissed in reply. "What's his name?" Malik asked, calming Tigerwings as the cat sat on his shoulder.

"Hm…Reaper," Ryou answered. "You know, after the Grim Reaper?" Yugi had disappeared into the shop. He came out with a small, brown pygmy owl perched on his outstretched arm.

"I'll call him…Tawny," Yugi declared. The owl hooted and nipped his finger lovingly.

"Sorry t' say this, but you're gonna have t' put yer pets in a cage while y' ride th' train t' Hogwarts," Hagrid said. They nodded and each bought a cage. Tigerwings was reluctant to get in the cage.

"Okay, you can stay on my shoulder until we get to the train," Malik said, smiling.

"Now, we have everything except our wands," Yugi said, looking at his list.

"Then we'll go t' Ollivanders! They've been in business a long time!" Hagrid said with a grin. They walked down the street until they came to a dark shop. There didn't appear to be anyone in the shop, until a small voice greeted them.

"Hello," it said. From behind a large bookshelf came an old man. "First years, hm?" he said in a very, very soft voice.

"Kind of," Hagrid said. "They're going to be in Hogwarts for the first time, but they'll be in the sixth year classes."

"I see. Curious," the man mumbled. Malik read his nametag. It said "Ollivanders". "Let's see, so, who first?" Malik stepped forwards. He wanted to get his wand as soon as possible. The man measured his right arm and finally pulled out a small box from a shelf. "Oak, eleven-and-a-half inches, with a powdered-dragon horn in it," he said. Malik took it. He nervously waved it, and a light-bulb exploded. "No, not this one." Ollivanders took the wand from his grasp and handed him a new one. "Willow, ten inches, and has the wing feather from a griffin inside of it," he said. Malik waved it, and it emitted red sparks. "Ah! This is the one for you," he said.

"Cool," Malik said, looking it over. He paid the man seven galleons and Ryou stepped up. Ollivanders handed him a wand.

"Pine, twelve inches, has the hair of a unicorn in it," he said. Ryou gave it a wave and silver sparks came from the tip. Yugi took a while to find his, but when he did find the proper wand (Oak, eight-and-a-half inches, ground up dragon tooth in it) it emitted purple sparks. They thanked Ollivanders and left the shop.

"Well, y' got everythin' y' need, right?" Hagrid asked. They nodded. "Now we go back t' London! Gotta catch th' train, y' know."

After a long walk they finally came to a large train station. They hurried in and looked around. Hagrid looked at his watch and gasped.

"Oh! I gotta go! Bye, kids, I'll see y' at Hogwarts!" he said.

"But we don't know where to go--!" Malik said, turning around, but Hagrid was gone. He sighed. "Let's see if we can find anyone who knows," he said to Ryou and Yugi, as Tigerwings angrily got into the cage. They walked around, until finally, they saw some people chatting.

"So anyway, I sold the Muggle one of those cars, but I put a curse on it--," one said. The two laughed. Malik stepped over.

"Um, can you tell me where the train to Hogwarts is?" he asked. The other teen looked at him.

"Yeah, just run through that and you'll get there. You don't look like first years, you should know where it is," he replied.

"It's a long, boring story," Malik replied. They chuckled, and Malik walked back over to Yugi and Ryou. "Apparently, we just run through that," he said, pointing at a brick column. Yugi blinked.

"Well, if we weren't dealing with wizardry and magic I wouldn't believe you. Let's try it, you first, Ryou," he said. Ryou sighed dejectedly and stood a few feet away from the entrance to Platform 9 and Three Quarters. He gulped and ran forwards, his crow cawing once, and found himself in a new area filled with wizards and witches of all sorts. Soon after him came Malik, then Yugi.

"Wow," Ryou said as Malik calmed his yowling cat. The conductor yelled "All aboard!" and they hurried on. They walked down the aisle of the train until they found an empty passenger room. They sat down, each very excited. Their door opened.

"Um," said a boy with jet-black hair and glasses. He had a lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead. "Is it okay if we sit in here? All the other ones are full," he said.

"Sure," Malik said with a smile. The boy thanked him and sat down, along with a red-haired boy and a brown-haired girl holding a fat orange cat.

"Where's Malfoy?" the red-haired boy asked. "Isn't he with you three all the time?" He didn't look very happy to see them.

"Who's Malfoy?" Yugi asked.

"We're new," Malik explained quickly. The three in front of them gasped.

"You are? Oh, sorry, Ron here thought that you were someone else," the girl said, pointing at the red-haired boy. "I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Harry Potter." They all shook hands.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ryou Bakura, and these are my friends Malik Ishtar and Yugi Mutou," Ryou said, smiling.

"You don't look like first years. More like our age," Harry commented.

"Well…we didn't figure out that we were wizards until yesterday. We're going to be sixth years, even though it will be our first year at Hogwarts," Malik said with a shrug. Tigerwings crawled out from under Malik's seat and jumped into his lap, flapping his wings for a boost. Harry, Hermione, and Ron gasped. The orange cat in Hermione's lap growled and hissed.

"No, Crookshanks! Don't be mean!" Hermione scolded.

"Why does your cat have wings!" Ron asked. He was obviously freaked out.

"Oh, I guess that you've never seen a winged cat before," Malik said. "I drew him."

"You _drew_ him?" Harry exclaimed. Malik nodded.

"Yeah, but I can't control it. Sometimes I'll find new things around my house that I drew, other times the drawings will stay on the paper," he said.

"See! I told you that there was another me on this train!" said a voice. Everyone looked up. Standing in the doorway was a tall boy with long white hair, who was pointing a shaking finger at Ryou. Behind him were two others that had spiky hair, and another with smooth, light hair. Ryou gasped. The boy with tri-colored spiky hair peered over his shoulder.

"Hmph! It seems as if I do too," he grumbled.

"Grr," said the other spiky-haired one. "You copied me!" He picked up Malik by the collar of his shirt, glaring, but Malik seemed unfazed.

"Sic 'em, Tigerwings," he growled. Tigerwings instantly hissed and jumped onto the intruding teen's face, biting and scratching him. Once the teen dropped Malik, the cat stopped and jumped back onto Malik's shoulder.

"Who are you three?" the pale boy asked.

"I believe that it's polite to give us your name, first," Ryou replied. The pale boy glared, but smirked slightly.

"Clever. You should be in Slytherin. Anyway, I'm Draco Malfoy, but you may only call me by my surname until you join Slytherin. If you don't, then you'll have to call me Malfoy for the rest of your life. Anyway, these three here are Marik Ishtal, Bakura Touzoku, and Yami Atemu. They're my brothers," he said.

"Thank you. I'm Ryou Bakura, and my friends here are Malik Ishtar and Yugi Mutou," Ryou replied.

"He even copied my name!" Marik exclaimed, moving forward to attack Malik again, but Malfoy stopped him. Bakura snarled, making a "tch" sound.

"If I had it my way I'd kill you for stealing my name, boy," he said, glaring at Ryou, but Ryou stayed put.

"Take your brothers and leave us, Malfoy, we don't need you here to annoy us," Harry said, sticking out his wand threateningly. Malfoy smirked and brought out his wand. He pointed it at Yugi.

"Do anything to me, and your little loses an eye," he said. Yugi gasped, and words suddenly came to his mind. He took out his own wand.

"Ex…_Expelliarmus_!" he yelled, and pointed his wand at Malfoy. Malfoy's wand instantly flew out of his hand and onto the floor. Yugi blinked, his eyes wide in astonishment.

"You didn't tell me that you knew any spells, Yugi!" Malik exclaimed.

"I…I didn't. The words just came to my head," Yugi mumbled. Malfoy glared at them.

"We'll see you in school, newbies," he said and whisked away. Yugi, Ryou, Malik, Ron, Harry, and Hermione all grinned triumphantly. They chatted a bit more, until finally, the train lurched to a stop. Everyone got off it, carrying their things, and walked towards a huge castle. After a short trip by boat, they walked into the castle.

"You'll go with Hagrid," Hermione said to Malik, Yugi and Ryou. "You haven't been sorted yet. I hope to see you three in Gryffindor, by the way," she added, smiling, and left to catch up with Harry and Ron.

-

Malik felt embarrassed among the first years in the waiting line. He and Yugi were close together, but Ryou was one of the first. Ryou waited patiently, until finally Mrs. McGonagall called his name.

"Bakura, Ryou," she said loudly. Ryou could almost feel Bakura's cold glare. He stepped up and put on the hat. It barely covered his eyes. He waited for something to happen.

"Ah, I bright one, a very bright one," said a voice in his head. He gasped and looked around with just his eyes, as if expecting to see someone next to him. "You would be good in Ravenclaw, but what's this? Very brave, I see, very, and hidden talents!" Ryou soon realized that the hat was talking to him! "Well, in that case, it's got to be GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted. The Gryffindor table cheered and Ryou hurried over to sit down. After a long while it was Malik's turn. He gulped as he put the hat on, and like Ryou, it covered his eyes.

"Quite cheeky, I see, and very clever. You'd be good in Slytherin, very good, but…eh? What's this? Ah…another very brave one, and a very handy talent, if you ask me. GRYFFINDOR!" Malik quickly removed the hat, smiling, and sat next to Ryou. Yugi was up now. He put on the hat, being careful of his hair.

"A kind child, are you? And very determined indeed. A hard worker, not quite a slacker. I think that you'd be good in Hufflepuff, but there's hidden courage there. Eh? A Parseltongue, are you? You'd be good in Slytherin, especially since you've been contacted by _him_, but I think I'll put you in… GRYFFINDOR!" Yugi sighed with relief and sat next to Malik at the Gryffindor table, thankful to be with his friends.

The sorting ceremony got over quite quickly, and Dumbledore said a few words (Freeway, lemon-drop, and geology). They feasted, and after they were finished, Dumbledore had a few more words to say. He stood at the podium and clinked his goblet with his fork for attention.

"Ahem, attention, please," he started. "As most of you know, last year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, like the others before her, left, and so we have a new one. I'd like you to all pay your respects to your new DADA teacher, Mrs. Rakara!" A medium-sized woman with jet-black hair and red eyes stood. She was grinning, and had two tiny pointed fangs on either side of her top row of teeth.

"Hello there," she said in a soft voice, but was loud enough for all to hear. "I hope you'll enjoy my class." Ryou saw images of huge tiger fighting with a lion with brown fur and a sandy-blond mane along with a fox with a white mane. He held his head and squeezed his eyes shut. The new teacher sat back down and the images left his mind.

"Now that we're finished here, off to bed with you!" Dumbledore said. Everyone clapped and stood, following their house Prefects. Malik, Ryou, and Yugi gawked at the moving staircases and the living paintings on the wall. Finally they came upon a huge portrait of a fat lady.

"Password?" she said.

"Accio Expelliarmus," the Prefect said. The portrait swung upon, revealing a large passageway into the Gryffindor Common room. They went inside and were immediately told to go to bed. Hermione was explaining a couple of simple spells to Malik, Ryou, and Yugi.

"So anyway, saying _Alohomora _will unlock doors, saying _Lumos_ will create a light at the end of your wand, saying _Expelliarmus_ will disarm someone trying to attack you, and _Accio_ and then what you need will make it come to you. I find Expelliarmus very handy against Malfoy and his gang," she said.

"Thanks, Hermione. We'll practice, 'em," Malik said with a smile. Yugi and Ryou also thanked her, then they went to bed.

-

Malik sat awake, drawing. His wand was illuminated with a bright white light so he could see. Once it died, he scowled and mumbled "lumos". Ryou awoke with a start and looked to Malik.

"Are you drawing a big man with muscles, who's mostly bald except for a ponytail with a weird tattoo on his face?" he asked in a whisper. Malik blinked.

"Yeah. How did you know?" he asked. Ryou smiled and tapped his head.

"I dreamt it. Duh. Anyway, why?" he asked.

"I thought that it would be wise to have a bodyguard around in case those Slytherins try to hurt us. He'll know magic, of course, and, like Harry, I'm giving him an invisibility cloak so he can stay with me even during classes," Malik replied, erasing his foot and re-drawing it. He, of course, had to draw the man naked and then make some clothes for him to wear, so he'd be an actual human being. "Man, I love this ability or whatever. I feel like a god."

"Don't abuse it, though. Only use it if you need to," Ryou suggested. Malik nodded.

"He's gonna have to be smart, so he'll know what to do, plus he'll have free-will, so he and I can talk. Think I should make him my brother?" Malik asked. Ryou shrugged.

"He's your drawing," he said.

"I think I will. But what to name him…"

"You're Egyptian, so something Arabic or whatever," Ryou said.

"How about Rishid? That would work," Malik said. "Yeah, Rishid Ishtar. That's what his name will be." He made a few adjustments, and inked the man in. He colored him in carefully, making consideration of shading and skin tone, and then drew some clothes on a separate piece of paper for him to wear. Malik showed the paper to Ryou.

"How's that?" he asked.

"Very macho. Looks tough, too. Good job," Ryou replied with a smile. "How old is he?"

"Hm… twenty-six. So he's still pretty young, but he's strong," Malik said. "Oh, and he was a Gryffindor when he went to Hogwarts. I wrote up his entire past and such, as if he actually existed when I was born. So he knows almost everything about me and such."

"Interesting." Malik set the papers on his nightstand and lied back in his bed.

"'Night, Ryou," he said. Ryou lied down.

"'Night," he replied and they fell asleep.

-

Marik lied in his bed, wide awake. He had just recently woken up from a strange dream. It wasn't the content of the dream he was worried about, but who he was dreaming about.

Malik Ishtar, the new Gryffindor.

He didn't want to think about his dream anymore. He growled and shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. He had to get to sleep.

-

Malik was awakened by a firm hand that gripped his upper arm and shook his body slightly.

"Malik-sama, if you don't get up soon you'll be late for your classes," said a voice. Malik groaned and opened his eyes lazily.

"Eh? What?" he mumbled. He heard a sigh and he turned over. Bending over him was a tall man who looked _exactly_ like the person in his picture that he drew. He grinned. "Oh, hey, Rishid. G'Morning," he said with a smile. Rishid smiled back and Malik sat up. Rishid held up a large piece of cloth he had hanging over his lower arm.

"Here you are, Malik-sama. I've got your towel and robe. You need to take a shower for school," he said. Malik thanked him and took the fabrics from him. He made his way to the showers and cleansed his body quickly, yet thoroughly. He mentally celebrated. He had created another being with just a pencil, pen, and set of colored pencils.

He smiled happily and turned off the water and stepped out, drying himself off. He hung the towel to dry and put the robe on. He went back into his room and swiftly got dressed. He saw Rishid chatting with Ryou quietly.

Malik gathered up his supplies and saw the faded drawing of Rishid lying on his bedside table. He quickly put it into his drawer, along with the drawings of Rishid's clothing and his history. He didn't want Rishid to know that he was created by himself. After all, Malik didn't want to see him angry. Rishid was much stronger than him, by multiple times.

-

Yugi smacked into someone on his way to potions with Professor Snape. He looked up, somewhat scared, to see the glaring eyes of Yami.

"G-gomen nasai," he mumbled worriedly. He hoped that he wouldn't have to defend himself against any attacks, or use the _Expelliarmus_ spell again.

"No, that's alright. **I'm** sorry. I'll pay more attention when I walk next time," Yami said and walked on. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were right behind Yugi along with Malik and Ryou, gawped at the sight before them.

"I don't believe it," Ron said. "First he _apologizes_, then he _blames himself_!"

"That's unheard of! He's one of the worst behaved students here, along with Marik, Bakura, and Malfoy! Why would he be saying that to you?" Harry wondered.

"Well, keep in mind that Yami usually didn't cause much trouble…it's always Marik's idea, or Marik who's doing it," Hermione commented.

"He's probably just having a major mood swing, Yugi. You'd better still watch out for him," Malik suggested, and Ryou nodded in agreement.

"S-sure…" But he couldn't get the image of Yami blushing at him out of his mind.

TBC

Mew: Sorry for my cruddy ending… .. I actually didn't know if I was going to submit this, so I started writing it for my own amusement.

Draiku: You write for your own amusement too much.

Mew: I do not. I write for my art! (sigh) Ah, yes, art is the one torch in the horrible shadow of ignorance that humans have spread over our world…(continues to ramble)

Yoko: Just go right on to the next chapter!


	3. Troublemakers

Mew: Yay! Chapter three of When Houses Collide is up! –cheers- Oh, the title of this chapter makes no sense whatsoever...ignore it.

Draiku: -stares- Jesus, shut the f—

Yoko: Bwahaha! Disclaimer time!

Disclaimer: We do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or Harry Potter. If we did, we would be so filthy rich that you wouldn't be able to see our true skin color. O.O

-

When Houses Collide

Chapter 3: Troublemakers

Malik sat in Potions class tiredly. He did not really care about what effect a certain potion would have on a muskrat, or any type of creature at that. Yugi, strangely enough, was deeply into it. He listened to Snape's every word and scribbled down various notes.

"Now," Snape said in that cold, icy voice of his, "who can tell me what any potion mixed with a rat-tail would do to a muskrat?" Only two people raised their hands: Yugi and Hermione. Snape sighed, disappointed that none of the Slytherins knew. "Let's see what our newest student has to say." Hermione pouted and glared slightly at Yugi.

"Any potion mixed with a rat-tail would cause a muskrat to change to the color green and would grow small, mutated-looking horns," Yugi answered. Snape blinked, surprised.

"That is correct. Gryffindor loses one point--," he started.

"Hey!" Malik exclaimed, standing in his seat, glaring at the teacher, "You can't do that! He was right!"

"A-HEM, Ishtar, you interrupted me. Gryffindor loses one point for being know-it-alls. And now you've caused your house to lose another, Ishtar, for interrupting a superior," Snape said coldly. "And Slytherin loses one point for not knowing the answer." The Slytherin classmates sighed dejectedly.

Malik scowled at Snape, one eye twitching, but sat down anyway, sighing with a huff. He began doodling when he was supposed to be taking notes. He finally finished, staring at a picture of Snape's nose growing a gigantic, hairy wart on it. He tucked it away into his bag, hoping that it would come true.

It did.

Snape's nose began quivering, causing the teacher to gasp. Snape watched in astonishment as a large wart with hair sticking out of it popped out of the tip of his nose. All the class, even the Slytherins, burst out in laughter.

"Who did this!" Snape bellowed, causing the class to hush. "Well! What manner of magic is this!" He walked around the room, looking for guilty faces. He slammed his palms right in front of Malik. "Did you do this!" he demanded.

"I-I wouldn't know how to, sir," Malik answered. Snape growled and walked over to Marik, leaning in on him.

"How about you, Ishtal!"

"I don't have my wand with me. I couldn't have," Marik replied coolly. Snape growled again and stopped in front of Bakura. Denial, again. He did this to the entire class, and couldn't pick out anyone in particular. Class soon finished, and everyone hurried out. Marik caught up to Malik in the hallway.

"Hey, new kid," he said.

"My name isn't 'new kid,' it's Malik," Malik snarled at him.

"Sorry, okay? I'm sorry. But anyway, that was pretty funny what you did to Snape back there," he said, clapping a hand on Malik's shoulder. Malik, Ryou, Yugi, Ron, Hermione, and Harry gasped in surprise. Marik was being _nice_ to a _Gryffindor_!

"H-how did you know!" Malik asked, astonished.

"Oh, come on, it was so obvious. I saw you drawing the picture. So you can draw things and they come true, or come to life or something? I bet that's how you got your cat. Where is he, by the way?" Marik asked.

"Um, up in the Gryffindor common room," Malik answered stupidly.

"I thought so. It takes a while for pets to get used to the crowded hallways here. You shoulda seen Granger's furred meatball, he was freaking out and everything at first. Anyway, I was wondering, can you make people?" Marik said, raising an eyebrow.

"What? Um, I dunno, I've never tried that," Malik answered, knowing that Rishid was close by.

"Ah. You should, sometime. Apparently, whatever you draw happens to people, right?" Marik said slyly.

"I…I guess so. I can't control it, though. Only if I really want it to happen, I suppose. Why do you ask?" Malik was getting less and less nervous around the Slytherin every second they chatted, unlike his friends, who seemed to be getting more anxious. Marik eyed the other Gryffindors warily.

"I'll tell you at lunch. Meet me at the Whomping Willow, out in the courtyard over there." He pointed out the window to a patch of grass with a huge tree in the middle of it.

"Um, alright. Sure. See you then," Malik said. Marik smiled and left, murmuring a "take care of yourself." Malik stared as Marik walked away, paralyzed with confusion.

"What. The. Hell. Was. That!" Ron yelled at Malik.

"I dunno. Just yesterday he was all pissed off at me," Malik replied tonelessly.

"Don't go and meet up with him!" Hermione said urgently.

"Eh? Why not? He seems nice enough," Malik said, confused.

"The Whomping Willow is called the Whomping Willow for a reason, Malik. It can kill you," she said darkly.

"What! It's just a tree!" Malik exclaimed.

"No, it is a tree, but it swings its branches at you until you die. Believe me, it nearly killed Harry and I a few years back. He's probably luring you into a trap. He's a Slytherin, so he's not safe at all. If I were you, I'd avoid him at all costs." Malik gulped, but nodded reluctantly.

-

Malik sat at his table with his friends. He suddenly stood up, wanting to know what Marik wanted to speak with him about.

"Where are you going, Malik?" Yugi asked.

"Bathroom," Malik lied. He left the table and while they weren't looking, he headed off to the courtyard with the Whomping Willow in it. There he saw Marik, leaning on the tree, staring at the sky. He was smoking a cigarette in boredom. He suddenly noticed Malik and smiled.

"You came," he stated. Malik nodded sheepishly.

"I thought that those weren't allowed on school grounds," Malik said, pointing at the cigarette in Marik's mouth. Marik shrugged.

"I changed a twig into it, they'll never know," he replied.

"So what did you want to see me for? Are you gonna sic the tree on me or something?" Marik chuckled.

"I guess that Granger told you about the tree. No, I pressed this knothole. It's harmless until we leave," Marik said, pointing at a knothole in the tree.

"Oh. So what did you want me here for?" Malik asked suspiciously. Marik frowned slightly.

"Don't look at me like I'm your enemy. I want to be your friend, Malik," he said.

"What! But…aren't Gryffindors and Slytherins forbidden to be friends?" Malik asked.

"No. But most say that they would never be friends. Well, I'm gonna break tradition and be your friend," he said with a grin. "That okay with you?"

"Well, sure! I mean, it's better to have more friends than enemies," Malik said with a smile. "Sorry for judging you."

"No problem. Hey…c'mere a sec," he said. Malik blinked, but walked over to Marik nervously. Marik looked over Malik for a few seconds. "Alright," he murmured. He suddenly grabbed Malik by the shoulders and kissed him lovingly, wrapping his arms around the boy.

Malik's eyes widened and he tried to push away, but Marik's hold on him was surprisingly strong. And yet…it felt nice. His eyes drooped close, and he clutched Marik's shirt tightly.

Marik mentally grinned. Damn, this boy tasted good. They pulled away slowly.

"Well? You okay with this?" Marik asked gently. Malik was going to nod, but he then realized what he had just done.

"J—you jerk!" he exclaimed, slapping Marik across the face. He blushed in fake anger and walked away briskly. Marik should have been depressed, or angry, even, but he smiled.

"Admit it, Malik," he murmured softly, "you like me. I saw it in your eyes." He laughed softly to himself and walked away from the Whomping Willow, smiling.

-

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING!" Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Yugi all yelled at Malik upon his return. Malik blinked, pretending to be confused.

"Uh…number one? Or maybe you'd call it number two, I dunno," he said dumbly.

"Yugi saw you snogging a Slytherin, a male one, no less!" Ron exclaimed in a tight voice. _Oh, shit,_ Malik thought. _They know._

"Oh, that jerk forced it on me. He grabbed me all rudely and everything. I got away, thankfully," Malik said, blushing.

"B-but Malik," Yugi said softly. "I saw you. You looked almost like you were…enjoying it. Your eyes were closed in what looked like bliss, and you were gripping his shirt." Malik blushed even more.

"I'm telling you, it was forced. I promise," he said in a shaking voice.

"Who forced it on who, then!" Hermione questioned.

"He forced it on me! Honestly!" Malik whined.

"Oh, really? Well, it looked to me like you enjoyed it, a lot," Yugi said. Malik suddenly got angry.

"Okay, so maybe I did enjoy it a little, but I do not like him!" he yelled and stomped off.

"I told you that you shouldn't have bugged him about it," Ryou said, his tone a dull one.

-

"Marik, dear brother, what, if I may ask, were you doing with that Gryffindor out by the Whomping Willow?" Bakura asked. Standing around him were Yami and Draco, all staring at Marik intently.

"Kissing him," Marik replied dully.

"You were kissing a Gryffindor boy, dear brother?" Draco asked.

"Yup."

"And you kissed him, instead of vice versa?" Yami questioned.

"Of course."

"Don't you realize that you're breaking the Slytherin code?" Draco growled.

"No. What rule was that again?"

"Rule number three-hundred-sixty-five: I will not befriend or love, or even get close to any Gryffindor," Bakura recited.

"Oh. That one. Well, since I was the maker of that rule, then I can get rid of it. New rule, number four-hundred-ninety-nine: Any Slytherin who wishes to befriend or get close to a Gryffindor shall not be punished. This rule overrules rule number three-hundred-sixty-five, since we decided that any rule with the number nine in it is more important than all the others," Marik said. Draco snarled.

"Cheater. Oh well, now that you have your little boyfriend, I guess that you don't need to be on the Slytherin Council of Making and Executing Rules," Draco said with a sneer.

"Alright, fine by me," Marik said and walked off. "You're gonna be late for class if you keep standing there, staring at me in disbelief, by the way," he added. Draco cursed under his breath and the three followed the tanned Egyptian back to the Slytherin commons room.

-

Malik lied awake in his bed. He looked to Rishid, who was sleeping on the extra, unused bed in the boy's room. He then turned his gaze to Ryou and Yugi, then to Harry and Ron. He hoped that he could still be friends with them, even after he kissed a Slytherin, a male one, too. And there was no denying it, he did like Marik after all.

He sighed softly and closed his eyes, trying to get to sleep, but memories of the kiss were keeping him awake. He snapped open his eyes, as if he expected Marik to actually be with him, kissing him passionately. He closed his eyes once more, forcing himself to not think about the kiss, and finally fell asleep, images of Marik filling his head.

-

The next day was the same as always. Malik awoke, had breakfast, and went to his morning classes. But lunch was a little bit different. He didn't meet up with his friends, instead, he found Marik, leaning against the Whomping Willow and smoking, like he was the day before.

Marik noticed him.

"Shouldn't you be eating, Malik-kun?" he asked. Malik stared at him intently.

"Why did you do that to me yesterday, Marik? Why?" he asked. Marik put his hands behind his head.

"Do what?" he replied as if nothing had happened. Malik glared.

"Why did you kiss me!" he demanded. Marik pulled the cigarette from his mouth and blew out a puff of smoke.

"I wondered when you'd ask that," he murmured. "Come here so I can tell you. It's a secret only for your ears." Malik frowned warily. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna kiss you against your will," Marik said, rolling his eyes. Malik finally stepped over to him and Marik pulled him into a hug.

"Wha--! Marik!" Malik exclaimed.

"Shh, don't say a word," Marik murmured into his ear soothingly. He tightened his grip on Malik.

"Oh, gods, don't hurt me," Malik begged.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promise," Marik whispered. "The truth is, Malik, I like you. A lot." Malik's eyes widened.

"So…that kiss wasn't just for your own pleasure or something!" he hissed.

"No. I really do like you, more than anything else." Malik clung to Marik like he did the day before.

"Marik…" he muttered, tears spilling from his eyes. "I like you too." Marik secretly smiled.

"I thought so. You didn't quite put any hatred in that slap you gave me yesterday."

"S-sorry about that," Malik said nervously.

"It's alright. It didn't hurt. So, are we together? Like, closer than friends?" Marik asked, holding him even tighter.

"Yes. We are," Malik whispered. He pulled away gently and gazed into Marik's eyes. He finally pulled him into a kiss, closing his eyes happily.

-

Malik grinned as he walked into the Great Hall.

"What are you grinning about, Malik?" Hermione asked suspiciously when he sat down next to Ryou. Malik kept grinning.

"I am…" he started, then stopped, smirking mischievously.

"What?" Ron asked.

"I'm not telling!" Malik answered childishly.

"Please tell us, Malik? We want to know," Yugi said, smiling slightly. Malik shook his head no.

"Nope! You'll just have to guess!"

"C'mon, please! The suspense is killing me!" Ryou and Harry both begged.

"Alright, I'll tell you," Malik said. There were a few seconds of silence.

"What? What is it!"

"I," Malik said. Another few seconds of silence passed.

"What next! You…?"

"Am," he said. Silence.

"What! You are…!"

"In." More silence.

"What! What are you in!" the five in front of him begged.

"Love!" Malik cried, standing up and spreading his arms wide. They all blinked.

"With who? Tell us, please!" Harry said. Hermione, however, knew, and giggled.

"It's a secret!" Malik said, grinning.

"Please? Is it…uh, that girl? Or maybe that one over there? How about that one!" Ron asked, pointing at various girls.

"Nope, nope, and nope!" Malik said.

"What about that one?" Yugi asked.

"Nuh-uh!"

"That one?" Ryou suggested.

"Nada!"

"What about her?" Harry asked.

"Ehrrhn! No jackpot!"

"Then who is it?"

"I'll give you a hint. It's not a 'she'," Malik said.

"Then who is it? That Gryffindor? Or maybe that one? How about him!" Ron asked. Clearly, everyone but Hermione was dumbfounded.

"Nope, nada, zip!" Malik said, shaking his head.

"Oh, come on, it's so obvious! He and Marik are in love!" Hermione said, standing up.

"Bing-bing-bing! We have a winner!" Malik exclaimed, pointing at Hermione.

"Seriously! You mean…that you're boyfriend to each other!" Harry asked and Malik nodded in reply. "But…he's a Slytherin!"

"And what's your point?" Malik asked.

"He's the enemy!" Ron exclaimed, standing in his seat.

"Not mine! And so what if he comes from Slytherin, so what if we have our differences, he and I are together!" Malik sighed blissfully.

"Oh, and Malik," Hermione said. "I apologize for objecting you and Marik's being together yesterday. I take it all back. You two look quite cute together, actually. Congratulations, and good luck!"

"Thanks, Hermione," Malik said, smiling. "Anyway, I'd better get ready for class! I heard from a couple o' Ravenclaws that we're gonna have a pop quiz in Potions today, so I gotta study, study, study! See ya!" Ryou, Ron, and Harry looked at each other. They knew nothing of potions. They ran after Malik frantically to the Gryffindor commons room.

Hermione and Yugi laughed.

-

Marik walked into the Slytherin commons room coolly. He saw his brothers staring at him.

"What?" he said dumbly.

"We saw you snogging that Gryffindor brat again, today," Draco snarled. Marik growled softly.

"He isn't a brat, he's my boyfriend. And if you insult him one last time, I'll rip your face off and eat it," he threatened. Bakura, Yami, and Draco widened their eyes at him in disbelief.

"Y-you are his boyfriend! Impossible! You're insulting Salazar Slytherin, the creator of this house!" Bakura yelled.

"He's dead and gone. I need not worry about his feelings," Marik said, still angry at his siblings. Yami glared at him.

"Well, then since you apparently don't care about the Slytherin way any longer, then we hold the right to kick you out of our little council," he said in a dark voice. Marik glared at them, silent.

"As of now, you cannot make and execute Slytherin rules. Thus, all of the rules you made can be removed from the constitution. It is now against the laws to have any relationship with a Gryffindor, except as enemies," Draco, Bakura, and Yami said simultaneously. Marik shrugged.

"So?" His brothers gasped as he shot a deathly cold glare at them. "From this moment on, I will not consider anyone who is against Malik and I my friends. Not even you three." His brothers gasped again.

"Y-you can't do that! We're your siblings!" Yami objected.

"Doesn't matter anymore. Good riddance to you all," Marik snarled and left to his next class, leaving his brothers dumbfounded.

-

Malik sat next to Marik in DADA class, all the Slytherins and Gryffindors staring at them. There was usually a strict division between the lion and the snake, but today, apparently, the colors blended.

Another strange thing that was going on was that the teacher wasn't here. She was nowhere to be found.

Just as they were about to give up hope and speak with each other loudly, the doors slammed open and in came the new DADA teacher. She ignored the students' gasp and made her way to the front of the class. Then, she slammed her palms on the desk, not looking up. Everyone waited anxiously. Finally, she looked up, grinning.

"Welcome to DADA class, children. I hope that you all enjoy my class," she said in an icy tone. Using her wand, she lit a few of the torches in the dim room. "Please excuse the darkness, I'm just more used to it." Everyone shuddered slightly.

"Today," she said, pacing back and forth in front of the class, "we shall begin working on…" She suddenly grinned even more widely. "Negative and positive numbers." The class gasped.

"That's Muggle work! I refuse to do it!" Draco shouted among the whines of protest. The class went on about having to learn about magic and not math, but Ms. Rakara stayed silent. She held up a wand and murmured a short spell. Immediately, all the students' went mute. They tried to speak, but the couldn't.

"That's better, now isn't it?" she said, smiling in a sickly-sweet way. "I don't think that you understand me. I'm not talking about mathematics, or numbers. I'm talking about the opposites of people." She murmured another spell and the students regained their voices.

"W-what do you mean?" Hermione asked, raising her hand.

"Well…take Mr. Malfoy here, for instance. He is a negative number, so to speak. Let's pretend that he's the number…oh, negative twenty-five. Now let's take Mr. Potter here. Let's guess that he's number positive twenty-five. Do you understand, yet?" Harry and Draco glared daggers at each other. Ron raised his hand.

"But they can't be the same number, they're totally opposite!" he objected.

"Precisely!" Ms. Rakara yelled, starting the class. "Although they have the same digits, they are totally opposite. Mr. Potter is the positive version of Mr. Malfoy, and vice versa." Now it was Harry and Draco's turn to say something.

"That's impossible! We can't be opposites of each other!" they yelled at the same time.

"See? Although they have different opinions, they have the same ideas about each other. Harry, what do you think of Draco?" Harry glared at Draco.

"That he's a slimy, bratty, whiney, mental bastard!" Harry growled.

"And you, Draco. What do you think of Harry?" she asked, ignoring Harry's fowl language.

"That he's a stupid, idiotic, disagreeable, difficult, and mental bastard!" Draco snarled.

"Now, as you can see, their last two words, 'mental' and 'bastard' were the same. What does that tell you about Harry and Draco?" she asked. Neville raised his hand nervously. "Yes, Mr. Longbottom?"

"That they dislike each other a lot?"

"Besides that."

"Oh. Then…they think the same of each other?"

"Correct! Five points to Gryffindor. Now, if you're a positive, it's good to find your negative side, and vice versa. Why do you think that it would be good?" She looked to Neville, who was currently one of the bravest, wisest kids in the classroom.

"So that they can take their anger out on one another so they don't get a stomach ulcer?" The class laughed.

"True, but it's good to get close to your other side. Does anyone have an idea as to why?" Hermione raised her hand. "Yes, Granger?"

"Because if you take a negative number five and add five to it, then it equals zero, which is neither positive or negative, so you live in bliss?" she suggested.

"EXACTLY!" Ms. Rakara yelled, causing the class to jump in surprise. She walked over to Malik and Marik. "Now, you two seem to be friends, despite the fact that you're in opposite houses."

"Uh, yes, ma'am," Malik and Marik said softly.

"How do you feel about that?"

"Really good!" Malik said with a grin.

"And in fact, we're closer than friends!" Marik added. Malik blushed slightly.

"I knew it," she said, smiling. "Now, see how these two are happy together?" she asked. The class nodded, though a little freaked out about the thought of a male Gryffindor and a male Slytherin getting together. "They are opposite numbers of each other, and since they're together, they made a zero, which is neither negative or positive, so they can think what they want despite their houses." She looked around the classroom.

"Now," she continued. "just by standing here, I can pick out a person's negative or positive. And since all Gryffindors are opposite to all Slytherins and vice versa, someone on this side of the room is opposite to someone on that side of the room. Let's see…" She looked to Yugi. "Positive." She looked to Yami. "Negative. Oh, and we'll have a new seating arrangement, from now on. You must sit in your assigned seat or points will be subtracted from your house."

Everyone stood up and moved to the back of the room.

"Okay, Yugi, sit over at that table, and Yami sit next to him," she said, pointing at a table. Yugi gulped nervously and sat at the table. Yami joined him, glaring, but his expression of distaste and anger looked quite fake.

"Marik and Malik, sit together at that table." Marik and Malik hurried to the table and sat down. "Ryou and Bakura, sit at the table next to them." Bakura was first to sit down, and Ryou nervously made his way to the table, sitting down cautiously.

"Harry and Draco, sit next to each other." Harry shot threatening glares at Draco and Draco growled in return. She continued to make the seating arrangement until finally, all the Gryffindors sat with a Slytherin at one of the tables. "Okay, class is over. You are excused."

Everyone hurried out of the class. Malik hurried up to Marik, who was waiting for him.

"Man, I was so worried that I wouldn't sit next to you in class! I'm glad that she arranged us like that," he said. Marik chuckled softly.

"Same here." Malik stepped closer to Marik and leaned his head on the Slytherin's shoulder. Marik smiled and wrapped his arm around Malik, still walking down the hall.

Meanwhile, Ryou was shoved up against the wall by Bakura. He stared into Bakura's eyes fearfully.

"Just to let you know, if you even _think_ that I'm your opposite number or whatever, you'll be on a one-way trip to Hell, got it?" Bakura hissed. Ryou nodded, and Bakura left. Ryou blinked, noticing a strange marking on his arm, peering out from under his sleeve.

"Ba—I mean, Touzoku," he said. Bakura glared at him.

"Now what do you want!" he demanded. Ryou pointed at his arm.

"What's that on your arm?" Bakura went pale and clapped his hand over his arm, right over the mark.

"Why do you care! It's just…none of you business!" And he stomped off angrily. Ryou frowned slightly. He hurried to catch up with his friends. Harry saw him.

"What took you?" he asked.

"Touzoku just pinned me up against the wall, that's all," Ryou said.

"I'll have a word with him, if you like," Marik offered.

"No, thank you, Marik. I wasn't worried about that, but I saw a marking or something on his arm. When I asked him about it, he got all angry," Ryou muttered. Marik widened his eyes.

"You saw…" he cut himself off.

"What?" Ryou asked.

"Never mind, it was probably just a scratch. He gets into a lot of fights," Marik said quickly.

"Oh, okay, but--."

"Well, I should get to the Slytherin commons, since we go in opposite directions here," he said to Malik, cutting Ryou off.

"Aw. Well, see you tomorrow, then," Malik said, hugging Marik.

"Bye," Marik called and waved as he walked away. The six Gryffindors waved back.

"Who would have thought that a Slytherin would wave to us while walking away? And who would've thought that we would wave back?" Ron wondered. Malik chuckled.

"Anyway, Ryou, what were you saying when Marik cut you off?" Hermione asked.

"The mark had a certain pattern to it. I can probably re-create it," he said. They came upon the portrait of the fat lady.

"Accio Expelliarmus," Harry said and the portrait swung open. "Ryou, could you draw what you saw of the mark?" Harry asked. Ryou nodded, taking out a sheet of paper. He sketched a bit on it, erasing and redrawing lines. He finally finished, and held up the paper.

"Here." Harry, Hermione, and Ron gasped.

"I've seen that before," Ron hissed. Harry picked up his pencil and finished the fragment of a drawing. Malik, Yugi, and Ryou gasped.

"What is that?" Yugi breathed.

"The Dark Mark."

TBC

Mew: Crappy, crappy, crappy, crappy, crappy, crappy, _crappy_ ending. Yet, suspenseful. You all know what the Dark Mark is, right?

Draiku: Baku-chan's a Death Eater! NOOOOOO! –screams and flails about-

Mew: It seems as if Draiku has a soft spot for Bakura. Oh well, who doesn't? –grin-

Yoko: Now you can R&R! –grin-


	4. Death Eaters

Mew: Thank you to everyone who reviewed for the last three chapters! –cheers to them- If I couldn't reply to them, gomen nasai! I haven't had a lot of time on my hands.

Draiku: Idiot. You had a day "off" from school.

Mew: Shut up! I was ill!

Draiku: Yeah, right.

Mew: -knocks Draiku out with a huge mallet- If my parents are reading this, then, um, ignore Draiku! I really was sick. Honestly!

Yoko: Um… O.o Right. Disclaimer time! –grin-

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Harry Potter. I am currently saving up money to by Marik and Malik. So far, I have… one dollar. –cries-

When Houses Collide

Chapter 4: Death Eaters

The six Gryffindors stared at the drawing of the skull with the snake coming out of its mouth.

"What is that!" Yugi asked. The drawing itself seemed to symbol evil, suffering, and fear.

"That is the Dark Mark," Hermione explained. "It symbolizes the Death Eaters, which are servants of Voldemort." Ron shuddered at the name.

"Don't say it!" he hissed.

"For crying out loud, Ron! It's just a name!" Hermione hissed back.

"You know who Voldemort is, right?" Harry asked.

"Hagrid told us about him. He said that he killed many Muggles and even wizards and witches," Malik said softly.

"Yes, and he almost killed Harry," Hermione said darkly.

"With _Avada Kedavra_," Ron said.

"The Killing Curse?" Yugi asked. Harry, Hermione, and Ron blinked.

"Yes, but how did you know that? You're new to wizardry," Hermione pointed out.

"I…I don't know. Something kind of whispered it…into my ear or something," Yugi said nervously. "It was like a hiss…almost snake-like. And was very cruel, evil sounding. Um, don't worry, I was probably just imagining it," he insisted, smiling and scratching the back of his head. Harry, however, seemed concerned.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Yugi nodded.

"Yeah, but aren't we talking about Death Eaters? Let's…not get off-topic," he said.

"Ryou, are you positive that you saw this on Bakura's arm?" Hermione asked. Ryou nodded. "Then it's settled. He's a Death Eater. And I suspect that Draco, Yami, and Marik are, too."

"Don't say that about Marik!" Malik argued. "He wouldn't become a Death Eater, he just wouldn't!"

"Hermione, we don't know for sure if that was the Dark Mark or not," Harry said. "Marik might have been telling the truth, after all, Bakura does get into a lot of fights. And we can't jump to conclusions. They seem too young to be Death Eaters, after all."

"Oh, fine. But Malik, I want you to find out if Marik really is a Death Eater. He'll tell you. But just in case he doesn't…this might seem a little odd to ask, but…seduce him. Get him to take off his shirt," Hermione said. Malik blinked and blushed wildly.

"Pervert. I'll just ask him, and if he doesn't want to tell me, then fine. And I'm not even an adult yet, and we've only been together for a little over a day," he said, glaring at Hermione slightly.

"And having sex is against school rules. You should have know that, Hermione, after all, you've memorized every single one of them," Ron said, nudging Hermione's arm.

"Oh, stop that. It was just an idea," she insisted.

"A perverted one, but an idea," Ryou said sarcastically.

"We should get to bed," Yugi suggested. His friends nodded, and they left to their beds.

-

Yami tossed and turned in his slumber. He groaned, his eyes shut tightly, muttering a single word.

"Yugi."

-

"Marik," said a voice. Marik knew that he recognized it from somewhere, but where?

"Marik," it said again. "Wake up! Imbecile."

Marik blinked drowsily and looked up to see his brother Bakura standing over him, glaring.

"If you don't get up now, you'll be late for classes," the white-haired boy said.

"Is that a threat?" Marik slurred, turning over and pulling the blanket up to his chin. "I don't care about my classes."

"Keep in mind that today we have DADA first, and you sit next to Malik."

Marik was up and dressed before you could blink.

"Geez! You should've told me that sooner!" Marik snarled. He looked to Yami, who was still asleep.

"What's he look so happy about?" Bakura wondered.

"He's probably dreaming about someone he likes. Let's see," Marik said with a snicker. He walked over and kneeled next to Yami. "Yami, Yami, can I speak with you?"

"Mmgh, sure," Yami said in his sleep.

"Are you dreaming about someone?" Marik murmured. Yami nodded. "Are you kissing whoever it is?" Yami nodded again. "Is it a passionate, French-kiss?" Yami nodded once more. "Are you naked?" Yami nodded enthusiastically. "Who are you making love to?" Yami mumbled some incoherent words. "Beg pardon?"

"Yugi…" Marik let out a yelp and jumped backwards, and Bakura roared with laughter. Yami awoke with a snap.

"Yami was dreaming of his ickle opposite number, the Gryffindor runt!" Bakura yelled. Yami gasped and blushed.

"What! Of course I wasn't! I…I hate that kid!" Yami lied.

"Yami, I heard you. You were having sex with Yugi, you were talking in your sleep!" Marik said, grinning and laughing. Yami blushed even more.

"I was not!" he objected. Bakura grinned at him.

"Admit it, you want to fuck the little runt," he said. Yami hung his head shamefully.

"Don't tell him, please," he begged.

"Ah, fine, we won't. After all, I don't want to see another of our type sink that low," Bakura said, glaring at Marik. Marik snarled and instantly became a lion. He pounced on the stunned Bakura and pinned him down, bringing his bared teeth close to his brother's face. He roared loudly, then got off and changed back, still glaring at the paralyzed Bakura.

"Say that again, and I will kill you," he growled. Bakura's eyes were wide with fear, and he was paler than usual. He nodded, still frozen in fear. "Good." Marik walked out of the room, taking his supplies with him. He noticed something land on the windowsill as he walked down the stairs and looked to it.

"Ah, Tigerwings," he said to the winged cat. The cat had a small envelope in his mouth and he set it down. Marik picked it up, noticing that it was addressed to him. He opened it.

_Marik, meet me at the Whomping Willow at lunch – Malik_

He blinked and folded up the parchment, sticking it into his pocket. He then decided that it would be best to burn it, just in case the Dark Lord were to find him. He took out his lighter, flicked it on, and used his unique powers to make the flame jump to the paper. It burned slowly, leaving nothing but ashes.

-

After a few long, boring classes, Marik went to lunch. He found Malik where he'd expected, out by the Whomping Willow. The Gryffindor boy looked troubled, for some reason.

"Hey, Malik. What's up?" he asked. Malik forced a smile.

"I need to speak with you about yesterday," he said softly.

"Sure, what is it?" Malik bit his lip nervously.

"Remember when…remember when Ryou said that he saw a mark on Bakura's arm? Well, he redrew it onto a piece of paper and Harry figured out that it was the Dark Mark. Are you…are you and your siblings Death Eaters?" he asked, looking at Marik a bit worriedly. Marik frowned and looked away.

"I'm not going to lie to you," he whispered. "I'd die if I did. Yes, Malik, I am a Death Eater, and so are my brothers." Malik gasped.

"Why…why didn't you tell me this?" he asked.

"I was afraid," Marik admitted. "I was afraid that you'd reject me. But please, you have to believe me. I never wanted to be a Death Eater. Neither did Lucius, my father. But the Dark Lord forced us to become Death Eaters since he's running out of followers. He wanted Yami, Bakura and I especially badly."

"Why's that?"

"I'm not what most wizards would call normal. Neither is Bakura and Yami. Like you, I have a unique ability."

"What is it?"

"I can control fire. I can't make it, but I can control it. Here, watch." He took out his lighter and flicked it on. Almost immediately, the flame jumped to his hand. He enlarged it, made it change shape a few times, divided it, and finally snuffed it. "See?"

"Wow," Malik said, awed.

"Malik," Marik said, serious, "you must be careful around me and my brothers. The Dark Lord will want you, too, since he can make you draw anything and it will come to life. If he finds you, do not listen to him. He might threaten you and say that he'll kill you and your family, but never listen to him." He reached into his pocket, taking out a jade-green stone that was carved to look like the Dark Mark. He offered it to Malik.

"Take it. All Death Eaters are issued one on the day of their initiation. I'm sure that you've heard of Avada Kedavra, the Killing Curse. This is the only thing that can protect you from it. It's like a sponge, it will absorb the attack as long as you're touching it. This is actually to make sure that Death Eaters don't kill each other, because since the Dark Lord is running out of followers, he wants to keep them all for himself."

"Marik, I can't take this. If Voldemort finds you, you'll be vulnerable!" Malik objected. Marik shook his head.

"No, I'm giving this to you." He placed the stone into Malik's hands and folded his fingers over it. "I may not look like it, but I'm a pretty good actor. If I do have to go to him again, I'll be able to protect myself. But you can't join the Death Eaters, you mustn't! We're always hunted, constantly. On Yami's first day it scared him even to sleep. I don't want you to go through that." Malik cried softly and hugged Marik tightly.

"Thank you, Marik. Thank you so much," he whispered.

"You don't hate me?" Marik asked incredulously. Malik shook his head.

"I'd never hate you. I want to stay with you," he murmured. Marik hugged him back tightly. He didn't want to let go.

"W-we should get back to lunch," he muttered after a long while. Malik nodded and they went back to the Great Hall.

-

Malik sat at his seat in Potions class. He reached into his pocket and felt the small stone, wondering if Marik would be okay. He looked to the Slytherin briefly, then looked to the chopped up slug in front of him. He sighed, dumping it into the cauldron. He almost regretted telling his friends that Marik and his brothers were Death Eaters, since their responses were anything but good.

He stirred the concoction clockwise four times, then counterclockwise three times. It changed to a dark green color, though it was supposed to turn dark red. He sighed, looking back at the instructions, and realized that he got the stirring part mixed up. It was clockwise _three_ times and counterclockwise _four_ times. Snape walked over and dumped out the potion, saying "Start over, Ishtar." Malik noticed that the wart that was once on his nose had disappeared.

Malik glared at the teacher, dumping ingredients into the pot angrily. Finally, it became blood red, but something strange happened.

A dark black line appeared in the fluid and curved and twisted until it became a skull. It kept changing until a snake appeared to be slithering out of its mouth. Malik gasped and stepped back in fear as the black line became smoke. The smoke drifted into the air right above the cauldron and shaped into the Dark Mark once again. He fell backwards, his back hitting the stone wall. The classmates looked over in terror. Harry rubbed the scar on his forehead.

"Ishtar!" Snape snapped. "You do realize that it is forbidden to create that symbol in Hogwarts!"

"I didn't mean to, sir, honestly!" Malik said frightfully.

"I have reason to believe that you are one of _them_, a Death Eater!" He took out his wand and uttered a spell. An invisible knife cut through the base of Malik's sleeve and the cloth fell off. Snape inspected his arm. It was clean, there was no mark on it at all. He growled out another spell which reattached the sleeve back to Malik's shirt.

"If you aren't a Death Eater, then how did this happen?" Snape snarled in his face. Malik shook his head.

"I don't know, honestly! I did everything it said to do on the instruction sheet in the correct order and followed every detail, it just…happened!" he said.

"Did you see anyone sneak something into your cauldron, then?"

"No, sir. Not at all!" Snape growled and pointed his wand at the Dark Mark, murmuring a spell. The smoke parted and drifted away. He dumped Malik's cauldron over.

"I would tell you to start over, but class is over. Dismissed!" Everyone left swiftly, avoiding Malik. Marik hurried over to him.

"Malik, what's wrong?" he asked gently.

"I don't know, Marik. I guess that I'm still freaked out," Malik murmured. "I don't see what I did wrong with that potion. I never would have done that on purpose…" Marik pulled him into a comforting hug.

"I believe you, Malik," he muttered. Malik leaned against his chest, closing his eyes in content.

-

Yugi stumbled into Yami while walking down the hall again. He let out a small gasp and looked up at Yami.

"S-sorry, I--," but before he could finish, a bright-red blush had covered Yami's face and he fainted. Yugi blinked. He tapped Yami's forehead, trying to awake the Slytherin. Marik and Malik walked over and blinked.

"Did he faint?" Malik asked. Yugi nodded.

"Took one look at me, blushed a lot, and finally fainted," he explained. Marik cackled so hard that he had to lean on Malik for support.

"What's funny, Marik?" Malik asked, trying to keep the taller boy stabilized.

"He likes Yugi! That's why he fainted!" Marik said and fell onto the floor, holding his sides. He suddenly and abruptly stopped. "I wasn't supposed to say that. Oh, well. Too late now." Yugi's face was the color of the Gryffindor banners by now.

"He…he does?" he stuttered. Marik nodded.

"I asked him myself," he replied.

"Well, in that case, I'd better get him to the infirmary! He did get his head conked, after all," Yugi said. He picked up Yami from under the arms and tried to carry him, but it turned out more like a drag. Malik took Yami's ankles and helped Yugi get him to the infirmary.

"I'll tell Mrs. McGonagall why you're late," Marik said.

"Thanks, Marik," Malik replied, smiling at him, though he wondered why Marik hadn't made a single move to help his own brother.

-

Yami awoke in a somewhat uncomfortable bed. He blinked, looking around. Madam Pomfrey saw him.

"How did I get here?" he asked the nurse.

"Two Gryffindor boys brought you here. One of them had to get back to class, but the other insisted to stay. He's right there, just so you know," she replied, gesturing to Yami's side. He looked to his left and saw Yugi, sleeping in a chair. "You should thank him, after all, it's very rare that a Gryffindor helps out a Slytherin here."

"S-sure," Yami replied, blushing. He was about to use his ability to walk through shadows to escape, but before he could do that, Yugi awoke. He looked up drowsily, startling Yami.

"Oh, good, you're awake," he said, smiling at him in a most chibi-like way. "Hey…why are you glowing like that?" Yami gasped and quickly "shut off" his power.

"I wasn't glowing, humans don't glow! Heh, stupid Gryffindor," Yami said, trying his hardest to not act embarrassed. Yugi pouted.

"I know what I saw." He and Yami sat in silence, avoiding each other's eyes. "Hey…" Yugi said, breaking the silence, "could I talk to you?"

"About what?" Yami asked, pretending to be annoyed.

"Well, today, when you fainted, Marik said that you liked me. Is…is that true?" Yami gasped, staring at him. His face became bright red once again, and his eyes widened.

"That…that bastard! I told him not to tell!" he hissed, looking away. Yugi gasped.

"So, you do?" Yami hung his head again.

"Yes," he replied softly. "I do."

"Yami…" Yugi murmured. He reached out, taking Yami's hand gently. "I…I like you, too." He smiled sweetly, watching Yami gasp and stare at him once more.

"Really?" he asked. Yugi nodded.

"Yes, really." He pulled Yami into a gentle embrace, and Yami nervously wrapped his arms around him.

"Thank you, Yugi," he whispered. The two nearly-identical boys held each other for a long while, both happy, yet nervous at the same time.

"Yami, we heard that you had taken a knock to the—holy shit!" Yami and Yugi looked up to see Draco and Bakura, standing in the doorway, staring at them with huge eyes.

"By the Dark Lord," Bakura growled. "Yami! You aren't a proper…" He wisely cut himself off, eyeing Madam Pomfrey. "You're supposed to be loyal to _him_, and by doing this, you're disobeying one of _his_ biggest rules!" Yugi and Yami pulled away swiftly. The older of the two stood, glaring at his siblings.

"What I do is my business! I don't have to follow _his_ rules, not now, not ever! I don't care what _he_, you, or anyone else thinks! I…I love Yugi!" he yelled. Yugi smiled up at him, and Yami knew that it was a silent thank you. Draco and Bakura glared at him.

"As of this moment, you are off the Slytherin Council of Making and Executing Rules. Good riddance to you," Draco hissed. He flicked around and left, Bakura glaring daggers at Yami.

"Yami," Yugi muttered, "aren't they your brothers? Shouldn't they be like you? Kinder?" Yami sat down on the bed again, staring into Yugi's amethyst eyes.

"We aren't actually related, Marik, Bakura, and I were adopted by Lucius when we were children," he explained. "Our parents were all killed by the Dark Lord because they wouldn't join the Death Eaters. He used the Cruciatus curse on them, then used Avada Kedavra. He spared us, for some reason, though. I sometimes wish that I hadn't survived. Then I wouldn't be…well, I suppose that Marik told Malik and he told you." Yugi nodded, gazing at him sympathetically.

"I don't mind, Yami. Just promise that you'll stay with me," he said, hugging Yami again. Yami hugged him back, placing a chaste kiss upon his lips. Yugi kissed him back, his eyes closed in bliss.

-

Bakura glared at Ryou during transfiguration class. Ryou noticed and looked back nervously. Bakura bared his teeth at him, showing off his abnormally large canines. Ryou looked back at the rat that he was trying to change into a dishrag, which looked up at him with such a pitiful gaze that Ryou just had to have second thoughts about changing the creature into a piece of cloth.

He looked to Bakura once more, and saw that the Slytherin was whispering something to someone. The rat on his table squeaked at Bakura, and Bakura nodded and continued whispering. Ryou blinked. Did the white-haired fiend think that the rat could speak? Ryou decided that his prediction was correct; Bakura was insane.

"Anyway," Bakura said in a whisper, "would it be okay with you if I changed you into a dishrag? I'll change you back, I promise."

"Sure, I've already been through that a couple o' times today," the rat replied in a high-pitched voice.

"Thanks." Bakura took out his wand and flicked it at the rat, muttering a spell. The rat changed shape until finally, it became a grey dishrag. Mrs. McGonagall walked over.

"Good job, Mr. Touzoku, but we wanted to make the dishrags white," she said.

"Ah." Bakura flicked his wand again and the dishrag became pure white.

"Excellent work! You're doing exceptionally well in this class, Mr. Touzoku!" She then left to check up on Ryou. "Why haven't you transfigured your rat?" Ryou looked up at her.

"I just can't do it, ma'am! How would you feel if you became a dishrag?" he asked. She blinked. Bakura snickered as he changed his rat back.

"Honestly, Ryou…it's just a rat," she said, rolling her eyes.

"What if I said that you were 'just a teacher'? And it wouldn't matter if I turned you into an inanimate object?" Ryou replied.

"Just transfigure the rat," she said, sighing exasperatedly and walking away. Ryou sighed himself and flicked his wand at the rat. It became a white dishrag. He picked it up gently.

"Don't worry, I'll change you back, I promise," he said, stroking it. Bakura fell over in his seat, laughing like a maniac. Ryou shot him an annoyed glare, but Bakura just laughed even harder. The Gryffindor sighed, then changed the dishrag back into a rat. Quite suddenly, images flashed in front of his eyes.

He saw a white fox with a mane standing in front of him, and a large, hairy wolf snarling at the fox. The fox barked angrily at it, baring its teeth, and the wolf roared at it in reply. The wolf swatted the fox away with a large claw, and advanced towards Ryou, a sinister glint in its eye.

Ryou shook his head. The images disappeared, but he still felt concerned. Why was the fox protecting him? Why was the wolf attacking him? And most of all, would he survive? Ryou knew that it would happen; it always did. Whenever he saw something bad, it would happen. Always. He sighed, wondering when it would happen. He seemed to be in a forest, late at night, but he knew that the Forbidden Forest was off limits, hence the name.

"Well, everyone, you all did a good job in class today. See you tomorrow," Mrs. McGonagall said. Everyone left the class hurriedly, Malik clinging to Marik's arm and Ryou keeping a safe distance from Bakura. Ryou wondered what was taking Yugi so long. Finally, he saw Yugi and Yami in the hallway, walking together, both smiling in the way Malik had when he got together with Marik.

"Where have you been, Yugi?" Ron asked.

"At the hospital wing," Yugi replied cheerfully.

"Doing what?" Hermione asked, looking at Yami warily.

"Oh, Yami fainted, so I decided to stay with him until he was better," Yugi explained. "I thought that he'd need some…company when he woke up."

"From a Gryffindor?" Harry stated bluntly.

"You know, Harry," Yami said, speaking up for the first time since he and Yugi had arrived, "not all Slytherins are they same. Take Marik--."

"He's just a rare case," Ron insisted.

"You didn't let me finish, Weasley. I was going to say 'Take Marik _or I_ for instance.' We both love a Gryffindor." Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ryou gaped at them. Malik just smiled at Yugi.

"I'm happy for you!" he said to his spiky-haired friend. Yugi smiled back, blushing.

"Thanks, Malik," he said.

"Let me guess," Marik said with a snort, "Draco and Bakura kicked you off the council, right?" Yami shrugged.

"Obviously," he replied. Marik chuckled.

"So…you two are…together?" Harry asked nervously.

"Of course," Yugi and Yami replied at the same time. Hermione squealed with delight.

"Adorable! Kudos to the both of you!" she said, grinning. "Ryou, you should get together with Bakura!" Ryou blinked.

"Hermione, he and I are total opposites. I wouldn't want to be with him, anyway," he said, blushing.

"Aw, but you'd look so _good_ together," she replied. Ryou sighed.

"We should get to our next class, or we'll be late," he said dully. They agreed and hurried to their next class.

-

Marik sat in the Slytherin commons room, doing his homework. Normally he wouldn't do it, but Malik had said that it would pay off in the future. He heard people sneaking up on him, and looked over his shoulder to see six Slytherin boys glaring at him. They seemed to be younger.

"Need anything?" he asked dully. He really, _really_ hated the younger people, mostly because they were too thick-headed to understand anything.

"We heard that you were going out with a Gryffindor," one stated darkly.

"Yes, I am. What's it to you?" Marik growled.

"A Gryffindor _boy_," another said.

"And so?" Marik replied.

"You are an insult to Salazar Slytherin's name!" And then the boys pulled out their wands. Marik glared. He quickly changed into a lion and roared loudly, pouncing on the boys. He scratched each of their faces, and roared in their faces. Marik got off them and changed back, looking smug. The boys were paralyzed, just like Bakura had been.

"If you insult me or Malik, I will tear your faces off. If you harm Malik, your life is mine to take," he snarled. He gathered his supplies up and left to his bed.

-

Malik was sitting in his room peacefully, until he heard what sounded like a lion's roar. He had learned that the large cat's roar could be heard six miles away, and wondered if there were some in the Forbidden Forest. He gazed out the window, then took the jade stone out of his pocket, gazing at it. 'I owe Marik so much,' he thought, putting it back into his pocket.

"Malik-sama," said a voice. Malik looked over his shoulder to see Rishid, looking concerned.

"Yes, Rishid?" Malik replied.

"Why can't I remember being at the sorting ceremony to see what house you'd be in?" he asked. Malik mentally gasped.

"Um…you were exhausted because a few Slytherins tried to get me, remember? So you came up here to rest," he lied.

"I don't remember that, either, though," Rishid said softly. Malik knew that it would be useless to lie to him. He sighed softly.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. Rishid blinked.

"For what?" he asked.

"For lying to you. You weren't at the ceremony because…because you didn't exist then." Rishid gasped.

"That's impossible. I remember my childhood, my years at Hogwarts--." Malik shook his head, cutting him off.

"I know that you do because…well, look at this," he walked over to the drawer by his bed and pulled out the faded picture of Rishid. He handed it to him. Rishid looked it over with wide eyes.

"The time…it's the time right after the Sorting ceremony," he muttered. Malik nodded. He also handed Rishid the story of his past. Rishid read the entire thing carefully. "You…you created me," he stated, looking at Malik. Malik nodded solemnly.

"Yes, Rishid. I'm sorry for lying to you like that, really, I am. I'm sure that you hate me for not telling you, now." Rishid gasped again.

"Malik-sama…how could I hate you?" he asked. "You brought me into this world and gave me life. You even let me have free will. So tell me, how could I hate you?" Malik stared at him.

"You don't hate me?" he asked. Rishid chuckled.

"Of course I don't." Malik felt so happy that he cried. Rishid put an arm around his shoulders gently.

"Thank you, Rishid," Malik murmured.

TBC

Mew: Gah, gah, gah, gah, gah! That ending sucked. It really did. Oh, yes it did. –hits self on head angrily-

Draiku: So…Yami and Yugi are together now. Now, for the million dollar question of all yaoi fangirls: WHEN THE HELL ARE BAKURA AND RYOU GONNA GET TOGETHER!

Mew: -sweatdrop- Well…I bet that Bakura's going to be a stubborn jackass about it, so most likely not in the next chapter. Unless some huge miracle/the-writer-couldn't-think-of-anything-else thing happens, you won't see 'em together for a bit. Whoo, this chapter was shorter than the third one by about two pages.

Draiku: …yeah.

Yoko: Please R&R! Anyone who does gets a poster with Ryou talking to and petting the dishrag! –waves posters around-


	5. A Meeting With the Dark Lord

Mew: Well, hopefully this chapter won't be too short.

Draiku: Yeah! I wanna see Ryou and Bakura get together already!

Mew: Me too… but I shall make you all suffer a bit longer! –cackles evilly-

Draiku: That's my line.

Yoko: How 'bout Harry an' Draco?

Mew: … dunno.

Yoko and Draiku: --"

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Yu-Gi-Oh. Get it? Got it? Good.

When Houses Collide

Chapter 5: A Meeting With the Dark Lord

Bakura was proud to be a Death Eater. After all, he served the most powerful wizard of all time, so why wouldn't he be proud?

He lied in his bed with only a vest on, looking at the Dark Mark tattooed on his arm. He smirked, glad to serve the Dark Lord. And since he was so loyal, he was one of the Dark Lord's favorites, unlike Lucifer Malfoy, or even Snape.

He blinked when he felt his raven, Edgar Allen Poe (Edgar for short), land on his bedpost. He fed it a small piece of meat that he kept in a baggie, just for the bird, and smirked, taking the parchment off its talon.

Bakura read through the note, then grinned. He had yet another meeting with the Dark Lord. He transformed into a fox and jumped from the window, landing on his feet. He ran into the Forbidden Forest, snarling at unicorns and various other creatures just because he felt like it.

Finally, he came upon his master, bowing his head as he transformed back.

"My lord," he murmured respectfully, "what can I do for you?"

"Just give me the weekly report," Voldemort demanded in a hiss.

"Yes, my lord. Apparently, two of my brothers have changed for the worse," he said, looking up darkly.

"Oh? What have they done, then?"

"They have become abominations, they're disrespecting both your and Salazar Slytherin's names! They have fallen in love with…with Gryffindors."

"WHAT!"

"Gryffindor boys, that is. And these Gryffindors know that they're Death Eaters."

"Yet they trust them?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Well, well, well… this is quite excellent indeed."

"I beg your pardon, my lord?"

"I've been bored lately. I shall use the Imperius Curse on them later, when the foolish Gryffindor boys trust them with all of their rotten little hearts. Then I can kill them, or at least force them to become Death Eaters. Yes, that's what I'll do. Bakura! You spy on them, or at least get some of your four-legged friends to do so." Voldemort cackled.

"Yes, my lord. I'd be honored to do so," Bakura said, bowing again.

"Now leave. I must consult with the other Death Eaters that I have scattered around the globe." With that said, Voldemort disappeared in a flash of sickly green. Bakura stared at where he was once standing.

"Accio broom," he mumbled. His broom flew to him at top speed and he flew back to Hogwarts.

-

Bakura lied awake in his bed later that night, thinking of Ryou. He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head roughly, cursing himself for thinking of the Gryffindor.

"Die, Gryffindor Golden Boy!" yelled Draco's voice, causing Bakura and all of the other Slytherins to jump. "Heheheh, yes, Dark Lord, I would love to rule the world as your right-hand man…" Everyone stared at him.

"Baka," Marik muttered, throwing a crumpled up piece of paper at him. Draco snorted in his sleep and awoke, just in time for the paper to hit his head. He growled and threw it back at Marik.

"Idiot!" he snarled.

"Oh, shut up! You've been screaming in your sleep again!" Marik said, taking out his lighter. He made the fire jump into his hand and he threw it at Draco, who gasped and jumped out of the way. It almost hit Yami, but he quickly went into the shadows.

"Both of you, stop fighting!" Bakura growled. "I'm trying to sleep!"

Draco and Marik glared at each other.

"Bakayarou," Marik snarled, knowing that when he insulted Draco in Japanese it really annoyed him, since he couldn't figure out what it meant.

"Nancy boy," Draco growled.

"Aho."

"Asshole."

"Kuso!"

"Freak!"

"Dumbass!"

"Shut up, both of you!" Bakura and Yami yelled. The two glared at each other again, but finally went back to sleep.

-

"Now, today we'll get off the topic of negative and positive numbers and…" Ms. Rakara started. The class cheered, cutting her off. She glared at them, hushing them immediately. "Continuing, we'll talk about unique powers.

"Unique powers are difficult to understand because there is no spell to make them happen, and one can't defend themselves from them. For instance, Malik, will you please draw a picture of a key?"

"Um, sure," Malik said. He pulled out his quill and took out a sheet of paper.

"No, on the board."

"Oh. Sure." Malik stood and nervously walked over to the board. He quickly drew a key.

"Now, think of it becoming real."

"O-okay." He did so, and the key on the board disappeared and reappeared in his hand. Ms. Rakara took it from him and held it up.

"What you just saw was an unique power. Basically, Malik can draw anything and it will come to life or happen. Does anyone remember when Snape had that huge wart on his nose? Well…" She held up the drawing of Snape with the wart on his nose. It was signed with Malik's name. Malik gasped.

"It must've dropped out of my bag!" he exclaimed in a whisper.

"Anyway, I found this on the floor. Oh, and Malik, I didn't tell Snape about this. I don't like him, either. But anyway, Malik didn't need to say a spell or even use his wand in order for it to happen. Since he didn't need to do any of that, a spell can't counter it. Having an unique power can save your life, even though you have to be born with it. Most people actually have them, but they don't know about them.

"But they're called 'unique powers' for a reason. Malik is the only person in the entire world who can make things he draws come to life or happen. When he dies, the power will go to a wizard that hasn't been born yet. See, these powers have minds of their own. They actually choose who they want to go to, so even Muggles get unique powers at times. Rarely, but they do.

"But some unique powers are more powerful than others, like the ability to conceal yourself completely, create dangerous elements, talk someone or anything into doing something, being able to create anything no matter what it is, seeing the future, and being able to get spells from deceased wizards and witches." She eyed Yami, Marik, Bakura, Malik, Ryou, and Yugi.

"These unique powers are considered strange and unusual, since they're so powerful and useful. Any wizard or witch with one is actually considered 'different' or 'strange,' even though everyone has their own unique power.

"I did my research using my unique power, and I now know that everyone in this room and school has one. How? Well, my unique power is that I can look into anyone's mind and know the things about them that they don't. There is only one very famous person who doesn't have a unique power, although."

"Who's that?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Voldemort." Almost everyone shuddered at the very sound of his name. "Oh, and Malik, you can go sit down now."

"Uh, yes, ma'am." He hurried to his seat, blushing. He never really liked drawing in front of people. It embarrassed him.

"Now, you're all probably wondering why Voldemort doesn't have an unique power. He was born with one, but he died when he encountered Mr. Potter, here. Thankfully for him, he had split his soul into many parts, so he 'survived,' but he lost his power. Just for the record, he had the ability to subconsciously communicate with dead wizards and witches to learn spells and such in life-threatening times, or even in times where he'd only get hurt. He learned how to do it by his control, which is why he died when he attacked Harry. He had expected that he would have killed him."

Harry blinked, thankful that Voldemort hadn't planned ahead.

"Dumbledore wanted me to tell you what your unique abilities are. So I wrote them down for you. You may tell your classmates, or keep it secret. I really don't care." She handed out slips of paper to each of the students, and each one looked at his or her paper eagerly. Yugi looked at his and gasped in horror.

He had the exact same unique power as Voldemort did.

-

Malik sat in Potions class, thinking about his unique power. If he drew something, would it happen, no matter what, even if it was against someone's will?

He also wondered, if he drew himself as a girl, would he become one?

Curiosity won over common sense and he decided to try it out. He drew himself as a girl, fully dressed, of course, then finished the drawing and put it into his bag, thinking about it happening.

He gasped when he felt physical changes and looked down.

He had _breasts_.

He wondered if it really worked, so he sneakily grabbed his crotch, only to gasp again.

He couldn't feel his…

"Good lords," he mumbled, then gasped yet again. Even his voice had changed. It had really worked! (A/N: This is a result of being sugar high. –sweatdrop-)

Of course, now he was confused. Was he a he, or a she? The thought made his head hurt, so he decided that, since he had only been a she for about a minute, he was a he.

Then the worst happened.

Before he could draw himself back to his normal gender, Snape noticed.

"Mr. Ishtar!" he snarled, leaning towards him. "Why, if I may ask, do you have breasts?" The class cracked up laughing, except for Marik and his friends, who were just staring at him. Malik blushed wildly.

"Uh, um, I don't know. Maybe someone cast a spell on me?" he suggested.

"Really. Well, there isn't a curse that I know of that can change one's gender," Snape hissed. Malik shrugged.

"Well, how would I know? This is my first year at Hogwarts, you know," he replied.

"Then how did it happen?"

"Don't ask me." Snape growled and went back to the front of the classroom.

"Moving on…"

Malik sighed with relief. He took out another sheet of paper and randomly doodled Snape being attacked by flying pigs, wanting it to happen.

-

Potions was dismissed much earlier than usual, since Snape had to go to the Hospital wing on account of strange injuries and winged pigs that caused total mayhem in the classroom. Because of this, the Gryffindors and the Slytherins had an early lunch.

Malik sat down at a table next to Marik, who was chuckling quietly.

"What's so funny?" Malik asked.

"Why'd you draw yourself as a girl?" Marik replied. Malik shrugged.

"I just wanted to test it out. I'll draw myself as a boy now. These things are annoying me," he said, looking at his breasts. Marik laughed out loud. Malik quickly drew himself as a boy once again and he changed back. "Much better," he mumbled. "Being a girl, even for a few minutes, is tough."

"Hey, I dare you to draw Bakura as…" Marik whispered in Malik's ear and the Gryffindor nodded.

"Sure! This'll be fun…"

"Oh! And draw Draco with…" Malik took out another piece of paper and drew Bakura and Draco as Marik dared him to.

"WHAT THE HELL!" came Bakura's yell. Everyone looked over their shoulders and saw Bakura as a girl, dressed entirely in pink. He even had a bow in his hair and nail polish on his fingers, and he was wearing pink sandals. Everyone in the room cracked up laughing.

Draco soon stormed into the room with a shirt that said "I LOVE HARRY POTTER" printed across the front, a pin with Harry's face in a heart, and a hat with a large golden H, an equals sign, and a pink heart.

"Whoever did this is going on a one-way trip to Hell!" he yelled. Everyone, even Harry, laughed loudly.

"Malfoy, if you loved me so much, then why do you keep saying that you hate me?" he yelled through his laughs. Draco stormed over to Malik.

"Draw me in my normal clothing, or I'll tear your eyes out and feed them to you!" he threatened. Malik stared at him dully.

"Say the magic words," he replied. Draco snarled and pulled out his wand.

"Grr… _cru_—!" he started.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Malik quickly yelled, pulling out his wand. Draco's wand flew out of his hand and to the floor. "Now, say 'please.'"

"P-please draw me back to normal," Draco said through gritted teeth, staring at the tip of Malik's wand that was currently aimed at his face.

"See? That wasn't too hard, now was it?" Malik said, erasing the I LOVE HARRY POTTER shirt, hat, and pin and drawing a new shirt. Draco's clothing changed back to normal and the Slytherin stomped off, his eye twitching. Marik grinned and gave Malik a high-five, laughing.

"You're on my list, Ishtar!" Draco yelled, pointing at Malik. Malik simply ignored him and grinned along with Marik.

"That was hilarious!" he said. "And Bakura still hasn't realized that you did that to him!"

"Should I keep him like that for a while?" Malik asked. Marik nodded, while Bakura kept cursing loudly.

-

Yugi sat alone at lunch that day, wondering what his friends would think of him if they knew about his unique power. He looked over his shoulder and saw people bragging about their unique powers.

"I can get hurt in any way, shape, or form and not get killed!" Neville said, grinning.

"Really? Well, I can whistle and call any steed, even a hippogryph or a unicorn, and they'll come!" Hermione replied.

"Well, I can call any animal to my aid!" Ron bragged. "How 'bout you, Harry?"

"I can find anything, that exists, of course, I want in my right pocket," Harry replied. "That happened once, when we went into the chamber under Fluffy."

"I see dead people," Colin Creevey said, holding his large, bulky camera, as usual. "And not just ghosts, like the Bloody Baron and Nearly-Headless Nick! Every single dead person in the world! There's one now." He pointed out the window.

Quite suddenly, a line of spiders began to crawl towards Ron. The boy freaked out and screamed.

"You must've accidentally activated your power," Harry said, grinning in amusement.

"G-go away!" Ron whined, trying to shoo the arachnids away.

"What's your power, Yugi?" Ryou asked, sitting next to his friend. "No one's really been sure about yours, but it must be good."

"No, it's not," Yugi muttered, resting his chin on his folded arms in front of him on the table.

"What is it, then?"

"I…I can subconsciously call upon the aid of any dead wizard or witch and be able to use their spells. That's the same one that Voldemort had," he said, squeezing his eyes shut. Ryou gasped.

"S-seriously?" he whispered. Yugi nodded. "That's strange. I wonder why the power went to you…"

"Maybe I'll turn out just like Voldemort! Maybe I'll try to kill every single Muggle in the world like he's trying to do!" Yugi sobbed quietly. He felt a warm arm around his shoulders and he looked up to see Yami smiling gently at him.

"But you won't. You're too kind to do that, I should be the first to know," he said, kissing him gently.

"Are you sure?" Yugi asked, still worried.

"Of course I am," Yami replied, hugging him even more tightly.

"Thank you," Yugi whispered and hugged him back.

Ryou watched them leave and go to a courtyard, hand in hand. He sighed quietly, realizing that he was the only one of his lifelong friends that wasn't in love. He wanted to hold someone, anyone, in his arms and feel someone else's warmth on his body.

He looked to Bakura, who was now a boy again since Malik took pity on him, and suddenly felt a strange attraction towards the Slytherin.

Ryou gasped, realizing what he was thinking, and blushed wildly.

_There's no way that I like him! He's rude, mean, violent, and unpredictable! It would be a miracle for him to actually find someone who likes him for his personality and not his looks!_ Ryou thought sourly. He sighed softly, his eyes drooping half-closed. _Then again…it would probably be impossible for me to find someone who truly cares._

He got up and left to the Gryffindor Common room, sitting next to the fire by himself. He sighed again, sadly, and looked out the window. It was raining, and everyone knows that September rains are the most depressing of all other rains.

-

Bakura became a fox during the night and slipped behind one of the many suits of armor that decorated the school. This one, although, led to a secret chamber that led to all common rooms of all houses. It wasn't even on the Marauder's Map.

There was one little catch, although. The chamber was guarded by one of the most fearsome creatures of all time, the dragon. It was a small dragon, but it was a very rare and powerful one that someone wouldn't want to mess around with. It's fire wasn't actually fire, but a combination between fire and acid. Thus making it particularly deadlier than all other dragons.

Bakura nervously stepped forwards. The dragon was asleep, maybe he could sneak past it. He did wonder how it was kept alive down here. He did, though, firmly believe that Filch used to feed bad students to it years ago.

He made one step, and the dragon awoke. He gasped and curled up fearfully.

"Who are you and why have you come to my chamber!" the dragon demanded in a voice that sounded as if it hadn't been used in years. Bakura prayed that the dragon could understand fox.

"I'm merely a fox, lord dragon. I was only making my way to the Gryffindor common room, back to my owner. This is a short cut, I believe," he said, bowing his head. The dragon narrowed its eyes at him.

"Who is your owner, then?" Bakura quickly thought of someone.

"Ryou Bakura," he said softly.

"I see, I see. Well, you may pass. I cannot kill you, only students who dare to cross my path." The dragon chuckled, a low rumbling noise, while flicking a human skull at Bakura with its tail. Bakura jumped and ran up the hallway to the Gryffindor common room, then through a small entry behind one of the tapestries. It was big enough for a human being to fit through. Bakura was surprised that no one had noticed it there before.

He was about to sneak up the stairs, but suddenly he heard someone moan. He looked towards the noise and saw Ryou, asleep on the couch, looking troubled. He blinked and walked over to him silently, studying the boy's expression.

"N-no, please," Ryou mumbled in his sleep. Bakura blinked again. "Don't hurt him…take me instead…" Bakura changed back into a human.

"Don't hurt who?" he asked in a murmur, knowing that this boy could be quite high-strung.

"You…"

"Who is you?"

"Bakura."

Bakura gasped and changed back into a fox, then he ran back through the secret passageway, ignoring the dragon. He ran all the way back to his bed, then dived into it and forced himself to fall asleep and forget all he heard.

-

Ryou awoke the next morning, concerned about his dream. In it, he had encountered Voldemort, who was threatening to kill Bakura for some sort of crime against him. He remembered spreading his arms out and jumping in front of Bakura, begging the Dark Lord to spare the Slytherin and take his life instead.

Ryou squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head.

_I would never do that for Bakura! I hate him, and that's that! He's rude, difficult, cruel, and downright annoying! It would be his own problem if Voldemort tried to kill him, so he would have to get out of it by himself._ Ryou nodded at his thought like the decision was final. _And I would like to see him dead._

He paused, looking at the floor.

_No, I wouldn't like to see him dead. He has a family and loved ones, just like me. We're not so different in that context._

He went up to the showers, scolding himself for thinking that he'd like to see Bakura dead. He sighed softly, feeling very alone, all of a sudden.

-

Bakura stared at the ceiling the next morning, contemplating his strange dream. He had dreamt of holding Ryou in his arms, cradling him in his lap, even kissing him. But why had he dreamt that? It couldn't be, could it? Was he in love with the pale Gryffindor boy?

_No!_ he thought-hissed at himself. _I will never love anyone in my entire life. Besides, those who I love always let me down, always. You can't trust anyone. It's better to just live alone._ His angry expression became sad and he closed his eyes, thankful that it was a weekend. Today he could go to Hogsmeade with all the other students above their second year and smoke all he wanted. It calmed him down, anyway.

He got up and got dressed, then joined everyone on the short hike to the village. He saw Ryou, looking so depressed it almost made him feel sad.

Bakura glared and mentally smacked himself. He forced a smirk, happy that Ryou was feeling down.

They finally arrived at the village and walked over to a secluded area where he could smoke. He lit a cigarette and put it into his mouth, taking in a deep breath and exhaling the black smoke.

He decided to amble around town rather than stay in one place. They only visited the place once a month, after all. While wandering, he bumped into someone, causing his last cigarette to fall to the ground and go out. It must have rained the night before.

He snarled and pushed away whoever it was, then glared even more when he saw that it was Ryou.

"S-sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," Ryou said quickly, backing away from Bakura. Bakura growled, his abnormally long canines showing.

"So why weren't you watching?" he hissed, walking closer to Ryou until the Gryffindor boy was against a wall.

"I-I don't know, but I'm sorry, really, I am!" Ryou said, getting more fearful every second. He even began scooting down the wall. Bakura grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up.

"Don't do it again, or I'll tear out your throat," he growled. Ryou struggled and choked, tears squeezing out of his eyes. "Hn. Pathetic weakling," Bakura muttered and threw Ryou against the wall roughly. Ryou rubbed his throat, massaging the bruised flesh as he watched Bakura walk away. Malik and Yugi ran over.

"Ryou, what happened? Did Bakura hurt you!" Malik asked, kneeling next to him. "Because if he did, Rishid said that he'd be glad to get him for you."

"N-no, I…I slipped, that's all," Ryou said, forcing a smile.

"Then how did you get the bruise on your neck?" Yugi asked.

"I…never mind, it's really not a big deal," Ryou insisted. Malik and Yugi glanced at each other before deciding not to bug Ryou about it anymore. Malik stood and helped him up.

"Just stay with us for now," Malik said softly. "But be sure to tell us if something ever happens again, alright?" Ryou nodded.

"I will," he said softly.

TBC

Mew: I know, that's a bad-ish way to end the chapter…Ryou getting hurt and all…

Draiku: Damn you.

Yoko: Please R&R! –pwetty pwease wif a chewwy on top?-


	6. The Forbidden Forest

Mew: Well, here's the sixth chapter of When Houses Collide! Last chapter was kind of short, compared to the other chapters.

Draiku: You're strange.

Mew: What was that for!

Draiku: Dunno. Just wanted to say it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Harry Potter. I am not rich, so that's pretty solid proof.

When Houses Collide

Chapter 6: The Forbidden Forest

Ryou was in the Forbidden Forest with his class. The Gryffindors and the Slytherins were going on a special lesson with Hagrid about rare, impossible to catch beasts. He enjoyed Care of Magical Creatures class since he loved animals.

He shot a glance at Bakura, who was walking about twenty feet behind the rest of the group.

"Keep up, Bakura!" Hagrid called. Bakura scowled and reluctantly hurried to the back of the group. Ryou noticed something strange about his walk. He seemed to be limping, almost. He eventually fell behind again, and Hagrid told him to hurry up.

Bakura cursed in a mutter and caught up with the group once more. His left leg felt like it was burning, since when he had run from the Gryffindor common room two nights before he stretched a muscle. It was bad enough that he was overworking it while traveling from class to class, it was worse that he was overworking it even more.

They stopped to take a break, since they had already seen most of the creatures. One of which was the pixie hummingbird, which had the ability to deflect any spells that would make it stop or slow down. Ryou saw Bakura cursing under his breath as he sat with his back to a tree. He decided that maybe he could make peace with the Slytherin by feeling concerned for him.

"What happened to your leg?" he asked, watching as Bakura massaged underneath his knee. Bakura growled.

"None of your business!" he snapped, glaring daggers at Ryou.

"Sorry, I just thought that I could help," Ryou said softly and turned to leave.

"Well, you can't!" Bakura snarled and attempted to get up. He let out a cry of pain as he bent his leg. Hagrid rushed over.

"Ryou, take 'im t' th' infirm'ry, will ya'?" Hagrid said, helping Bakura up. Ryou reluctantly nodded and put Bakura's arm over his shoulders. Bakura growled and pushed away.

"I can help myself!" he opposed. "I don't need you to help me!" Ryou frowned at him as Bakura cried out again and fell to his knees.

"Just come on. You can't even walk without falling down," he said, pulling Bakura up.

"Oh! An' Ryou, can ya' wait with Bakura so ya' can 'elp 'im t' 'is next class?" Hagrid called over.

"Sure," Ryou called back, though he didn't know why Hagrid was suggesting that he help Bakura if the Slytherin was already healed. "Come on. You have no other choice." Bakura snarled and reluctantly allowed Ryou to help him walk.

After a long walk, they finally arrived at the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey cast a spell on Bakura's leg, but it took almost an hour to work since Bakura hadn't been nursing his injury.

Ryou sat in a chair next to the bed, reading a textbook to study for the pop quiz in Transfiguration class, he had seen Mrs. McGonagall announce it to the class while he daydreamed in History. Bakura glared at him accusingly. Ryou noticed.

"Why do you keep glaring at me?" he asked softly.

"Because I hate you," Bakura growled. Ryou felt a sting of hurt, but he kept a straight face.

"Whatever," he murmured and looked back to the book. _Why does he hate me so much? I've never done anything to him…_ he thought. They sat in silence for a long while.

"Why do you strive to make everyone like you?" Bakura suddenly asked. Ryou looked up.

"What?" he said, dumbfounded.

"Why do you want everyone to like you?" Bakura repeated.

"I don't want everyone to like me. I just, well, it's just in my nature to be kind, I suppose," Ryou replied, though secretly unsure of his answer. "Why do you push everyone away? I've even seen you do it to your brothers," he asked.

"Because everyone would be better off alone in the world. You can't trust anyone, and those who you do trust end up betraying you," Bakura growled, glaring at the ceiling.

"How would you know?" Ryou questioned, raising one eyebrow.

"I just do, baka," Bakura snarled. Ryou decided to not go into it.

"Then why do you hate me?" he asked.

"Should I have a reason!" Bakura demanded.

"Well, yes! I've never done anything to you!" Ryou said, glaring slightly. Bakura glared at him calmly.

"I don't need a reason to hate anyone," he muttered and turned over in the bed. Ryou sighed with annoyance.

"Well, since you're gonna heal anyway, I'm leaving," Ryou said, standing. Bakura said nothing. Ryou stared at him a final time before leaving.

-

Bakura glared at nothing while lying in his bed that night. He sighed, almost a bit sadly, thinking of his older brother. Not Yami, but his real older brother.

He had actually adopted the last name Touzoku. His real one was Dorobo, but no one, not even his brothers, knew. He adopted the name Touzoku because that was the name of his older brother. He used to look up to him, he used to love him, he used to trust him.

Trust.

What a sickening word. Bakura hated it so much. Trust only brought grief.

He squeezed his eyes shut and a tear broke free from his grasp.

He hadn't cried in years. The last time he remembered feeling the warm liquid slide down his face was when his parents died and his brother betrayed him.

Ever since that one horrible night, the night his parents died at Voldemort's wand…

_/flashback/_

_Bakura blew out the candles on his birthday cake. All six went out at the same time and he grinned happily. His father sat next to him, telling him how proud he was. Bakura had just recently figured out how to learn the lumos spell, using his father's wand, of course. His mother kissed him, smiling, and his teenage brother, Touzoku, grinned happily. _

_Bakura opened his first present from his mother. It was a white kitten with big chocolate brown eyes that closed in content when he stroked it and two tiny wings. His mother said that she'd help him out someday, maybe even save his life, though Bakura never knew how a small, winged cat could save his life. He named the kitten "Angel" anyway. _

_His father gave him a broom, though Bakura was much too young to use it, but he insisted that he would teach him this year since he was such a good kid. _

_Later, when their parents weren't around, Bakura's brother gave him a map that showed the locations of all secret entrances in Hogwarts. He had swiped it from Filch's desk one year, but since he was seventeen now, he didn't need it. _

_That night, when his parents and brother were asleep, Bakura secretly changed his last name to Touzoku. His brother was his role model, and he wanted to be exactly like him when he grew up. _

_He was about to fall asleep with the kitten sleeping next to him, but suddenly, there was a loud crash. Bakura gasped and shot up, then he heard voices. _

"_Do you think that it's here?" one asked. _

"_It must be here! The Dark Lord demanded that we find that map!" the second said. _

_Quite soon, the two men came upstairs and attacked Bakura for trying to stop them. His father and mother came out and tried to defend their children, but Avada Kedavra stopped their breath. _

"_Touzoku! Help me!" Bakura cried as the Death Eaters grabbed him. Touzoku simply stood there, staring at him. _

"_The Dark Lord will be pleased to get this one," he said darkly. "He learns quickly and he can speak with animals." They cackled. Bakura cried loudly, then he glared. _

"_You tricked me! I trusted you!" he cried, snatching a wand from one of the Death Eaters. "A-Avada Kedavra!" he yelled. A bright green light shot out of the wand's tip and hit his brother in the chest. He broke free from the Death Eaters, taking advantage of their stunned stares. He killed them both with the same spell and fell to his knees, crying._

"_So, you know the killing curse," said a voice. Bakura looked up and saw the Dark Lord, who would soon become his leader, standing over him. "You could be useful to me…" _

"_No!" He aimed the wand at Voldemort, but the Dark Lord simply murmured "Expelliarmus" and the wand flew out of his hand. Two more Death Eaters came in and grabbed him. _

_Bakura never saw his home, Angel, and the broom again. He did keep the sheet of paper with every corridor of Hogwarts, but that wasn't important anymore. _

_He was alone, and trust was something he grew to hate._

_/End flashback/ _

Bakura sighed sadly and fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

-

Ryou fell asleep in Potions the next day. He barely got any sleep since a horrible nightmare kept awaking him and keeping him up.

"Mr. Bakura!" Snape growled, smacking his desk with a dead rat that he was using to demonstrate how to make the potion to the class. He was awake instantly. "You will serve two hours detention tonight for falling asleep." Ryou nodded, but groaned when Snape walked away.

He heard Bakura and Marik snicker slightly at him.

"You two will have a two hour detention, also, for not listening," Snape said to them. Marik and Bakura glared at him. Ryou sighed, wishing that Snape hadn't given Bakura detention also. He didn't want to deal with the Slytherin. He sighed sadly and chopped up the rat in front of him as Snape demonstrated.

-

A few hours later, Marik, Bakura, and Ryou went to serve their detention. Surprisingly enough, Filch was waiting for them.

"Snape 'ad important business t' tend t', so I'll be takin' y' t' the Forbidden Forest," he said darkly.

"What!" Ryou cried. "But…but Dumbledore said that the Forbidden Forest was _strictly_ off-limits!"

"I agree with Ryou. Why are we going there, anyway!" Marik demanded. Filch simply smirked.

"Because that's just 'ow we do things 'ere," he said and the smirk became a wide grin. "Y' should be thankful, back when I was in charge, I woulda 'ung y' by yer toenails. Oh, 'ow I miss the screams…" Marik, Bakura, and Ryou exchanged nervous glances. "Come on, then!"

They followed him into the Forbidden Forest slowly, then Filch stopped.

"This is where I leave y'. Y' need t' find one o' these rocks that are only found 'ere before y' leave. Good luck, yer gonna need it!" He held up a picture of a light green rock, then left, cackling.

"You have got to be kidding me," Ryou muttered. Bakura growled.

"Bastard! You were dropped on your head as a baby, weren't you! Go kill yourself, no one likes you!" he yelled after Filch. Thankfully, Filch couldn't here the insults. Bakura's eye twitched.

"We'll split up for now. That way we can cover more ground. Bakura, you go to the west, Ryou'll go to the east, and I'll go south," Marik said. "Keep your wand out at all times, and use the spell lumos to look. If you find it, point your wand upwards and fire out golden sparks, like so." Marik demonstrated. "If you get in trouble, shoot out red sparks, then we'll come to you as fast as we can. If you need to fend for yourself, use Accio broom and try to get away."

"Alright," Ryou said, though still afraid. They split up in different directions. Ryou looked to the sky. It had just gotten darker, thanks to a cloud blocking the moonlight. He shuddered and murmured "lumos" before continuing. He heard something in the bushes move and he froze in fear.

Bakura suddenly felt concerned for Ryou. After all, the Gryffindor boy didn't know many good defensive spells, so how could he help himself?

The Slytherin shook his head, forcing himself to not care for Ryou. He heard something howl loudly and gasped, realizing that there was a full moon tonight.

Then he heard the last thing he wanted to hear.

He heard Ryou scream.

Marik looked up, his tail staying still and his ears perked. He had changed into a lion, just in case. He ran in the direction of the scream worriedly.

Ryou was backed up against a tree, helpless. His wand had dropped to the ground right underneath the werewolf when he scrambled to get away.

The wolf snarled at him, its muzzle wrinkled in anger.

"N-nice wolf," Ryou whispered, but the werewolf simply barked loudly at him as if to tell him to shut up. The wolf was about to attack, but a pure-white fox jumped between Ryou and the wolf, snarling. The fox jumped at the werewolf and bit down on its front leg.

The werewolf let out a shriek of pain and tossed the fox to the ground, then swatted it to the side, making it hit the trunk of a tree and fall to the ground limply. The fox whimpered and suddenly grew and changed. Ryou gasped, startled. It was Bakura!

The wolf was about to attack again, but there was a deafening roar and a huge lion jumped onto the wolf, claws unsheathed and teeth piercing the wolf's neck. The wolf howled and shook the lion off and the two circled each other. Finally, the wolf jumped and tried to bite down on the lion's shoulder, but the lion swatted it with one great paw.

The wolf snarled and rammed into the lion's flank, causing the huge cat to fly one way. Ryou stared at the wolf in amazement as the lion made a low cry of pain and close its eyes, then change into a human. _Marik's an Animagus!_ Ryou thought, surprised. _If this werewolf can defeat a lion…then I'm a goner._ He squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the killing blow, but it never came.

Instead, a huge white tiger with feathery wings flew into the clearing and bit down on the wolf's neck. The two fought, blood, fur, and feathers flying everywhere, but eventually the wolf ran away. The tiger roared in triumph and suddenly shrunk, changing into a small, pure white kitten with tiny wings and brown eyes.

The kitten mewed at Ryou and jumped into his arms. Ryou stared at it thankfully, then hurried to Marik's side. The Slytherin groaned and sat up, holding his head.

"Ugh, sorry, Ryou, that I couldn't help you…" he muttered.

"It's alright, Marik. Did you get bit?" Ryou asked. Marik shook his head, then snarled in pain as one of the scratches on his skin stretched. "We should get you to madam Pomfrey," he said. Marik shook his head.

"Bakura's the one who needs attention," he said, looking to his brother. "That idiot. Trying to fend off a werewolf as a fox? He probably knew that he was going to lose. Who's the kitten?"

"I don't know. She attacked the werewolf as a huge tiger, then changed back," Ryou said. Marik gasped.

"You mean that's a Guardian!" he exclaimed.

"A what?"

"Those are totally rare! There are only fifty in the entire _world_! They choose who they want to protect, and they're the strongest cats ever! She could kill me easily, even when I'm a lion! You're so lucky, Ryou!" Marik said. The kitten licked Ryou's cheek gently.

"Let's get both of you to the infirmary," Ryou said. The kitten suddenly jumped from his hands and began digging.

"What's she doing?" Marik wondered aloud. The kitten mewed loudly and Ryou walked over. He gasped, reaching into the small hole and pulling out a bright green stone.

"Now we won't get in trouble with Filch!" he said, knowing that Filch would simply overlook the fact that they had been attacked and almost killed by a werewolf and yell at them for not finding the stone.

"Hah! Well, let's see to Bakura." Ryou and Marik both called for their brooms and they came swiftly. They got on and flew close together with Bakura in their laps, the Guardian kitten riding in Ryou's shirt by hanging to his collar.

They stopped in the infirmary and told madam Pomfrey everything, leaving out the part about Marik and Bakura being Animaguses.

"That idiot Filch! I'll tell Dumbledore about this!" she growled. "Anyway, Mr. Ishtal, go lie down in that bed while I tend to Mr. Touzoku," she added. "Mr. Bakura, you wait in that bed next to Bakura's, I want to check you, too."

Ryou waited patiently and watched as Bakura awoke slowly, moaning in pain.

"You stay here for the night, Bakura," madam Pomfrey said to him as she bandaged his wounds. "Just in case you have internal injuries." Bakura nodded, closing his eyes and falling asleep again. She hurried to Marik and healed him, letting him leave.

"Ryou," Marik said before leaving, "please don't tell anyone that Bakura and I can change into animals. They'll make us register, and in case you didn't notice, as a lion, I have a dark patch of fur on my right front leg that's in the shape of the Dark Mark. Bakura does, too, and then the Ministry of Magic will know about us."

"Sure, I promise," Ryou said, nodding. Marik thanked him and left to the Slytherin common room. Madam Pomfrey checked Ryou for injuries.

"Well, you don't have any, so you can go," she said.

"Could I stay here until Bakura wakes up? I want to thank him for helping me," he said softly. Madam Pomfrey nodded and Ryou sat next to Bakura, waiting for him to awake patiently.

Almost an hour later, Bakura's eyes opened.

"Ryou," he murmured softly, staring at the Gryffindor. Ryou gasped.

"You called me 'Ryou,'" he whispered. "You actually called me Ryou."

"So what!" Bakura demanded, but he groaned and squeezed his eyes shut in pain.

"I…I want to thank you for trying to help me. You could have died, but you protected me anyway." Bakura stared at him again.

"No problem," he muttered. The kitten who had been riding around in Ryou's shirt suddenly jumped to the bed and mewed and licked Bakura lovingly. Bakura gasped and picked up the kitten, his eyes wide. "A-Angel!" he stuttered. The kitten seemed to be smiling as it purred in content.

"What is it?" Ryou asked.

"My mother…she gave me this kitten on my birthday. Then during the night, she was killed by the Dark Lord," Bakura murmured, hugging the kitten gently, yet firmly at the same time. "I haven't seen Angel in years. Where did you find her?"

"She flew into the clearing and drove off the werewolf, I think that she saved all of our lives," Ryou said.

"Thank you," Bakura said softly. Ryou stared at him with wide eyes. "For bringing her to me."

"S-sure, no problem," Ryou said and stood, ready to leave.

"Ryou," Bakura said again. "Could you stay with me just a little bit longer…? Please?" Ryou blushed, feeling very nervous.

"Um, sure, I guess," he said. They sat in silence until Ryou eventually fell asleep. Bakura smiled at him, though he didn't know why. Ryou suddenly flopped over in the chair and his head fell onto Bakura's stomach.

"Oof!" Bakura let out. He stared at Ryou, who was still sleeping peacefully. The Slytherin eventually got used to the weight on his stomach and he put his hand on the back of Ryou's head, still looking up at the ceiling. He ran his fingers through Ryou's silver hair gently, wondering when he'd awaken.

Ryou's eyes opened slowly after a bit and he gasped, realizing what he was doing. He quickly sat up, blushing nervously and expecting Bakura to yell at him.

"S-sorry," he stuttered. "I-I didn't mean to do that…"

"It's alright," Bakura said softly. Ryou stared at him.

"Y-you're acting…strange," he mumbled. "But in a good way."

"Oh, really?" Bakura asked, staring into space.

"Yes." There was a long period of silence between the two.

"Do you wonder why I hated you?" Bakura asked.

"Um…yes, I guess so," Ryou mumbled.

"It was because when I saw you for the first time, you made me feel…funny, but in a good way. Every single time I saw you my heart…I don't know, it just felt like it stopped. And, even though you made me feel good, I got angry at myself. I wanted to stay loyal to _him_, the Dark Lord, and to do that I had to be an enemy of Gryffindor.

"But then when I saw how happy and content Marik was with Malik, his opposite number, I wondered if you could make me that happy. I denied the fact that every time I saw you it made my happy, so I blamed you for it, when it was really my fault.

"And a few nights ago, I changed into a fox to spy on the Gryffindors, preferably Malik and Yugi and Harry. I saw you sleeping on the couch, and you were mumbling in your sleep, so I decided that, since you have foresight and all, I could get some answers out of you.

"I asked you who not to hurt, and you said that it was me. I ran out of there because I actually felt happy that you seemed to care. I hated myself even more for it and I thought that if I hated you it would help. It didn't at all, I was just kidding myself when I said that I was happy. I was actually angry.

"That day at Hogsmeade, when you bumped into me, I actually liked feeling you against my body. I hated myself for it, so I thought that if I hurt you I'd feel better. But that wasn't true. I felt horrible after actually bruising your skin, making you whimper in fear and pain. I made myself believe that it was something else that was disturbing me, but in the end, it was all my fault.

"And tonight, in the Forbidden Forest, I thought that you were going to die, and that thought made me insane, insane enough to challenge a werewolf. I…I think that I knew I was going to die, but I wanted you to live just a little bit longer…

"Then when I was knocked out by the werewolf, I thought that you'd convince Marik to leave me in the Forbidden Forest. But no, you helped me, and you even thanked me, despite how cruel I was before. I guess that…what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry, Ryou, for hurting you. And I don't want to be your enemy."

Ryou stared at Bakura with wide eyes.

"Y-you don't hate me anymore?" he asked. Bakura nodded.

"Yeah. In fact…Ryou, I think that…I think that I love you," he said, looking away. "But I don't deserve someone as kind as you are." He felt warm arms around his torso, then he heard soft crying. "Ryou…are you crying?" he asked.

"I'm glad that you don't hate me! Because…because I think that I love you, too!" Ryou said in a whisper. Bakura's eyes widened.

"You do!" he exclaimed and felt Ryou nod.

"Yes, I think so," Ryou murmured, calming down. He felt Bakura grip his hand tightly and start crying himself.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you so much."

He and Ryou sat in the bed, crying and hugging, but both feeling happy. Bakura moved so he was facing Ryou. He held Ryou's face in his hands, stroking him lovingly. He gazed into Ryou's big, beautiful brown eyes.

"You're an angel, Ryou," he murmured and they pulled together, their lips touching gently.

-

"You're certainly happy today, Ryou," Malik commented during breakfast, watching as Ryou balanced a goblet on his spoon while grinning and laughing. Ryou looked to Malik, removing the goblet and setting it on the table once more.

"Oh, really?" he asked, smiling. Malik nodded, raising one eyebrow suspiciously.

"Well, um, how was detention? I heard that Filch made you go into the Forbidden Forest," he asked. Ryou grinned again and stood up, spreading his arms out and to the heavens.

"It was _great_! I loved it!" he yelled, laughing again. Malik, Yugi, Ron, and Harry exchanged questioning glances. Hermione giggled at Ryou's happy-go-lucky behavior

"Why? What happened? What did Filch do that was so great?" Harry asked.

"Not something Filch did, not something that he did at all! He made Marik, Bakura, and I go into the Forbidden Forest and find a green stone, and guess what? It was nighttime, and there was a full moon! So I was attacked by a werewolf, and then this white fox jumps in front of me and tries to protect me from the werewolf! But guess what!" Ryou said excitedly, but quietly enough so only his friends could hear.

"What?" Ron asked anxiously.

"The werewolf slammed him into a tree, and guess who it is! It's Bakura! Then Marik arrives as a lion, and the werewolf gets him, too! So anyway, a huge white, winged tiger flies in and drives the wolf away, and then changes into an adorable little kitten with these gorgeous brown eyes! She was soo cute!" He paused a moment to take in a sigh.

"Yeah…and then what?" Yugi urged.

"Okay, so Marik and I take Bakura to the infirmary, madam Pomfrey heals and checks him out and such, then Bakura asked me to stay! So we're chatting a bit, and it turns out that he doesn't hate me at all! In fact, he said that he loves me! So, since I'd grown kind of close to him by then, thanks to his kind, caring words, I say that I love him too! Then we get together! That's why I'm so happy today!" He sat down and took a long drink of orange juice from the goblet he'd been balancing.

"Hey, congratulations, then!" Hermione, Yugi, and Malik said, grinning. Harry and Ron sweatdropped.

"Well, it's not like I'm not happy for you an' all, but didn't you hate him a few days back?" Ron asked.

"Well, not really, I did dislike him for being a jerk, but I guess that I fell in love with him when he risked his life for me," Ryou said, sighing dreamily. "I mean, he looked so heroic standing there…Oh! I almost forgot. Could you not tell anyone that Marik and Bakura are Animaguses? When they transform, they have the shape of the _mark_ on their right front legs."

"Don't worry, we won't," Hermione assured him.

-

"Have you lost your mind!" Draco demanded of Bakura while they walked to breakfast. They had gotten up late since they were up doing their homework. Yami and Marik just laughed at Draco's expression of disbelief.

"Some could say that I did, but not after I got with Ryou," Bakura replied coolly, walking on.

"But you are – _were_ – the last one of us to be on the Slytherin Council of Making and Executing rules! How am I going to do it on my own, then!" Draco whined.

"You're smart, right? You'll figure it out." They arrived in the Great Hall and Bakura, Marik, and Yami hurried over to their opposite numbers. Draco's eye twitched and he sat with Crabbe and Goyle.

"'Morning, Ryou," Bakura said, grinning at Ryou.

"Good morning to you too, Bakura," Ryou said as Bakura leaned over and kissed his cheek gently. Yugi and Yami suddenly stood up.

"Where are you off to?" Marik asked.

"Well, you know how I got the same unique ability as Voldemort did? Well, Yami and I are going to do some research on why unique abilities pick the people they do," Yugi replied.

"Alright. See you later," Malik said as the two left. Suddenly, owls flew in through the doors carrying parchments and packages. Tigerwings landed on Marik's head with a small box in his mouth.

"Get off!" Marik growled and the cat obliged, but not before giving Marik a sharp tap on the nose. Marik rubbed his nose. "I swear, that cat's out to get me," he snarled.

"Well, sor-ee!" Malik said, pouting slightly. He took the box from Tigerwings and opened it. "What the… what is this thing?" He reached into the box and pulled out a silver band with a small, light violet diamond on it. Tucked inside the very bottom of the box was a note that said only three words: "Use it wisely."

"Oh my gosh! Those are supposed to be extinct!" Hermione exclaimed. "I read about them in 'Powerful Gems.' That little band is something you put around your wand! It makes all the spells you do more powerful and controlled! But the gems were all destroyed a long time ago… why would someone be sending it to you?"

"I dunno, but it's very strange. I still only know a handful of spells, but I suppose that I could use this anyway," Malik said, slipping the band around his wand. "Let's see if I can do _wingardium leviosa_." (A/N: I hope that's spelled right. If it isn't, shoot me with a rifle.)

"I doubt it. Even with that thing, you'll still blow up whatever you're trying to levitate," Ron said, laughing.

"Okay, then I'll try it on you." Malik aimed his wand at Ron and mumbled the spell, flicking his wrist. Ron gasped as he floated up to the ceiling.

"Let me down!" he cried. Malik almost dropped his wand in astonishment, but quickly caught himself and let his friend down.

"It works!" he exclaimed. Ryou snapped out of his mini-trance and opened his package. Inside there was a necklace with an emerald pendant shaped like a snake all coiled up. His crow Reaper snapped at it, obviously liking how it shined.

"Do you have any idea what this is?" he asked Hermione, showing her the necklace. She shook her head.

"Maybe we could look it up today during lunch," she suggested. "Breakfast is almost over. What'd you get, Harry?"

"It's a charm that you put on your broom that makes it go faster! I'll have to thank Sirius," Harry said, grinning. (A/N: Look, I know that Sirius died in the fifth book, but he's my favorite character next to Professor Lupin, so I couldn't leave him out of this!)

"That'll be handy during Quidditch," Ron said and Harry nodded in agreement. A huge parcel fell right in front of Hermione, making a noise that made everyone jump in surprise. She grinned and opened it eagerly.

"Yes! Mother found my book 'The Language of Charms and Jewelry' for me! I wondered where it was!" she said, flipping through the huge book.

"How could you misplace that behemoth!" Bakura asked.

"I own a lot of books," she replied simply. "Oh! Ryou, we could figure out what exactly that snake thing is you have there," she added excitedly.

"That would be handy!" Ryou said. Hermione flipped to the index and looked for snake. The topic was found on five pages, all in a row. She read them all aloud, but there was nothing about a coiled snake shaped emerald.

They all stared at the pendant, wondering what it was and where it came from.

TBC

Mew: What a bad way to end the chapter. Oh well. I bet you're happy that Ryou and Bakura got together! –throws confetti-

Draiku: You bet I am.

Yoko: Please R&R! Your opinions feed us!


	7. The Necklace

Mew: I apologize for being so inconsistent with my chapter stories. I just can't seem to find the motivation to work on them as much as I used to. I really, really, really need to get a deadline kinda schedule of some sort, since I work best under pressure. Heck, I typed up these words right here at exactly 2:33 in the morning. Hopefully dad won't catch me, or I'm screwed.

Draiku: Ooh. I'm telling. –evil grin-

Mew: NOOO!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Harry Potter. Seriously. If I did, I'd have my own DA gallery right now.

When Houses Collide

Chapter 7: The Necklace

Yugi and Yami sat in the library, researching unique abilities and why they did what they did. Yugi was praying that he didn't see the words "a unique ability moves on to a person that is most like the person previous to their next decision."

"What's wrong?" Yami asked, noticing Yugi's worried expression. Yugi looked up from his book and bit his lower lip slightly.

"I was just thinking. What if a unique ability chooses to go to people that are most like their previous owners or something?" he asked. Yami frowned at him slightly.

"I doubt that. You aren't anything like the Dark Lord. He's cruel and vicious, while you're kind and caring. He doesn't give a crap for other people, while you care about people with all your heart, no matter who or what they are," he said. Yugi smiled at him.

"Thank you, Yami," he said softly. "Just for saying that." He leaned across the small table to plant a gentle kiss on Yami's cheek. Yami smiled and kissed him back lightly, so it tickled Yugi's skin slightly.

"Now, let's get back to researching this. I'm sure that both of us want to know why we have the unique abilities that we do," Yami said softly.

They looked back to their books and read in silence.

"Oh! Hello, you two. Mind if we join you?" Hermione asked just after she walked into the library. Marik, Malik, Bakura, Ryou, Harry, and Ron were behind her.

"Of course not, here's a few seats," Yami said, scooting over a bit to offer Hermione a bit more room. He noticed the necklace in Ryou's hand. "What is that?" he asked.

"Oh, this? I got it from someone, though I don't know who," Ryou replied and held it out for Yami to see. The Slytherin looked concerned. "What is it?" Ryou asked.

"The Dark Lord's symbol is, basically, a green snake, like the Slytherin's symbol. If I were you, I wouldn't wear that at all. It could be cursed," Yami told him.

"I was thinking the same thing, but it seems unlikely. What would the Dark Lord want to do with you guys?" Marik said. Bakura felt worried, all of a sudden. The Dark Lord didn't know that he was in love with Ryou, and he of course didn't want Ryou to get harmed. He hated himself for doing it, but he would lie to Lord Voldemort and persuade him into believing that he had cast a spell on Marik and Yami to make them hate their opposite numbers. That way, no one would get harmed, except maybe himself for lying to his lord. But he'd do anything for Ryou, anything at all.

"What's wrong, Bakura?" Malik asked, looking to him. "You seem kinda concerned about something."

"Nothing. I was just thinking about that necklace," Bakura replied.

"Oh. It makes me concerned too. Same thing with this little band I got. I wonder who sent it to me?" Malik mumbled, staring at the silver ring around his wand.

"Hopefully whoever sent them isn't our enemy," Marik declared. Everyone agreed with him wholly.

-

"The preparations are complete, my lord," said a voice coming from within the Forbidden Forest. "Malik has the silver ring and Ryou has the necklace."

"Good, good. Now, I entrust you to carry out the plans. Bakura will report back to me with any news, and I'll of course contact you with any important information. Now go. I must contact the two who have been betraying me," said the Dark Lord's voice. The one in front of him bowed.

"Yes, my lord." With that, the person walked out of the Forbidden Forest, back to Hogwarts.

-

"Have you seen Marik today?" Malik asked Ryou the next morning, feeling worried. He hadn't seen Marik at all today, not even during the morning. Marik would always wait for him so they could go to their classes together, after all. Ryou shook his head.

"No, not at all. Yugi just asked me if I'd seen Yami, so I wonder if something happened to them. Maybe Bakura knows?" Ryou replied.

"Let's ask him after Potions," Malik said. They went into professor Snape's room and took their seats. The class began to fill up, and finally Snape walked to the front. Today they would learn to make a potion that would trick anyone into believing anything you said.

Bakura blinked and smirked to himself. He could use this, hopefully, if it didn't reek like a thousand corpses or change into a sickly green color.

"…And as you can see, the potion has no odor or color. You can put it into anything and no one will notice," Snape told the class. Bakura grinned widely and wrote down every single ingredient as Snape listed them off.

"And by the way, we will not be making this in class, since it is technically forbidden for students to use. Instead, you will all take this pop quiz," Snape said dully, holding up a stack of papers. The entire class groaned.

After completing the abnormally hard quiz, class was dismissed. Malik and Yugi hurried up to Bakura and Ryou.

"Bakura, have you seen Yami anywhere?" Yugi asked.

"And what about Marik?" Malik added. Bakura gasped.

"You mean you haven't seen them?" he asked. They nodded. "I didn't even notice that! I woke up late this morning, so I figured that they had left without me," he mumbled. Malik cursed in a mutter.

"I hope they're alright," Yugi said softly.

-

"You two have betrayed me and the entire pure-blooded race. And you know what I do to traitors," the Dark Lord hissed ominously. Yami and Marik, who were being held down by some Death Eaters, glared at their lord.

"You bastard!" Marik yelled at him, struggling. Yami seemed slightly calm, though.

"Oh, so that's how it is?" Voldemort growled. "First you defy me, then you insult me? You fools.

"Now, according to Bakura, you would do anything for your little Gryffindor boyfriends, correct? You'd even put their life in front of yours?" he asked, leaning towards Marik and Yami's faces. "Well, don't. That's not the Slytherin way. Tie them up so I can lecture them better." The Death Eaters quickly obeyed and did so.

"I'm not going to kill you," Voldemort said calmly, standing with his back towards Marik and Yami.

"Why not!" Marik yelled. He suddenly gasped in horror. "You…Malik and Yugi have nothing to do with this! Leave them alone!" he yelled furiously. He looked to his left, expecting to see Yami glaring at the Dark Lord, but instead he only saw a pile of loose ropes.

"Yes, they do. They play a very big part in all of this. And you two were the ones who got them involved. And remember, once you're involved, there's no running away. Am I correct?" He turned around, only to gasp. "Where are they!" he yelled at the Death Eaters.

"Th-they melted into the shadows!" one replied. Voldemort glared furiously, anger burning in his slanted eyes.

"Find them!" he spat. "Find them now, or I'll kill you all personally!" The Death Eaters immediately searched the area, but found nothing.

Meanwhile, outside of the large building the Death Eaters were located in, Marik and Yami were running through the shadows as fast as they could go. While Voldemort had his back turned, Yami had melted into the shadows and appeared next to Marik. He gripped his hand, enabling him to also come into the shadows with him, and they managed to get out of the house.

"Damn!" Marik hissed. "Where the hell is Hogwarts! They knocked us out before we got here, so where do we go!"

"I have no clue. Let's just get away as fast as we can," Yami replied. They kept running for what seemed like forever until they came upon a small village. Marik gasped and they stopped.

"Is this Hogsmeade?" he wondered aloud. Yami grinned.

"It is! Hogwarts isn't far from here! Let's get going!" They ran towards Hogwarts and stopped at the edge.

"What are you stopping for?" Marik asked.

"Isn't there a curse on the exterior of the school that keeps people from getting in without permission or something?" Yami asked.

"Weren't you listening to Rakara when she said that nothing could stop unique abilities? Just take us inside, hurry!" Marik snapped. Yami blinked, then they ran up the shadowy wall and in through the Slytherin boy's dorm window. Both sighed with relief, now that they were safe.

"They're back!" Bakura's voice exclaimed. Strangely enough, Malik and Yugi were waiting for them. Malik instantly pulled Marik into a tight hug, just as Yugi did to Yami.

"I was worried!" Yugi cried. Malik, however, glared at Marik.

"Where the hell were you! Never disappear like that again, you hear me? And if you plan on doing that again, then you'd better take me with you!" he scolded. Marik blinked.

"O-okay," he mumbled sheepishly.

"You made me worry too much!" Malik added and pulled Marik into a tight, loving hug once more. Marik hugged him back gently, happy that he was back as well. Bakura smirked at him.

"I'm beginning to have second thoughts about who's the real uke between you and Malik, Marik," he said with a grin. Marik gave him a dull look.

"What're you implying?" he asked suspiciously. Malik, however, seemed to not be paying attention.

"Before I forget, what are you two doing here in the Slytherin boy's dorm?" Yami asked.

"Bakura let us in, since he figured that this would be the first place you'd come to when you returned," Yugi replied with a sweet smile.

"Well, now that they're here, where were you guys?" Bakura asked. Yami and Marik looked to each other, and somehow agreed on not telling Yugi and Malik. The two Gryffindors would worry about them too much, and neither wanted that. They hated seeing their boyfriends upset or sad.

"Uh…we were playing hooky," Marik lied. "We stayed in Hogsmeade the entire day."

"No fair!" Bakura whined. "No fair at all!" But he could see in their eyes that they were lying. Something had happened, and it was definitely something life-threatening.

"Really? I can't believe that you didn't get caught," Yugi said. Malik stayed silent. He could see that Marik looked troubled when he first arrived, they hadn't been in Hogsmeade at all. But he would talk to Marik in private, tomorrow, when no one was around.

"Yes, us too," Yami said with a fake smile.

"Well, you two had better leave before someone catches us," Bakura advised. "Tell Ryou that I said 'goodnight,' if he's still awake by any chance."

"Sure. Thanks for letting us in, Bakura," Malik said. Yugi nodded, smiling. Yugi pulled Yami into a gentle hug and kissed him, murmuring "goodnight, Yami." Malik did the same to Marik and they left. Marik and Yami climbed into their beds, glad that they could rest, though not peacefully.

"I had no idea that the Dark Lord was so close to Hogwarts," Marik mumbled to Yami, who nodded in agreement.

"Worst of all, we're in the range of the Imperius curse. All of Hogwarts is. I'm…I'm worried for Yugi's safety, and Ryou's and Malik's," he mumbled back.

"We'll protect them, Yami. We can make sure that they don't get hurt or something," Marik said, trying to assure Yami. "And I think that he'll use the Imperius curse on them, but we know how to stop it, remember?" Yami still looked uncertain.

"What if he uses the Cruciatus curse? Or even worse, what if he uses Avada Kedavra?" he hissed.

"I know that Malik will be safe. I…I gave him my stone. The one that negates the effect of the Killing curse," Marik murmured. Yami gasped.

"That's a good idea. I'll give mine to Yugi. As long as he's safe, I'll be comforted," he said. "But that puts you in danger. What if he decides to kill you?"

"Then I'll die. Simple as that," Marik said. Yami stared at him. "I don't fear death, or the Dark Lord."

"But what about Malik?"

"He'll…He'll move on."

"He loves you more than anyone else, Marik. What if he doesn't move on? What if he thinks that you didn't love him for leaving him, just like that, without any reassuring words? I'd never just assume that Yugi would move on."

"Then I'll stay here as a ghost. I know how to do it," Marik replied. Yami sighed.

"How about just _not_ getting killed?" he said. Marik chuckled.

"Alright, that's easy enough," he said with a grin. "Let's just go to bed." Yami nodded and pulled the blanket to his neck and they fell asleep.

-

The Dark Lord stared into the swirling center of the crystal ball placed in front of him. He concentrated and finally, the one who was the key to his plan appeared in the crystal. He aimed his wand at it.

"_Imperio_!" he hissed, then smirked. His plan was slowly falling into place, piece by piece. He'd have his revenge, and he'd enjoy its sickly sweet taste.

-

Ryou was deeply sleeping, but Reaper, however, was not. He hopped towards his desk and took the strange, snake-shaped amulet into his beak. He then flew over to Yugi and, with the finesse of a master embroiderer, placed the necklace over his head and around his neck.

The jade snake suddenly began glowing bright green. A thick aura appeared around it and slithered around Yugi's neck and into his partly-open mouth. Yugi coughed violently, then his eyes snapped open, glowing as green as the necklace. He had only one thought.

_Kill…_

-

Malik awoke from a pleasant, don't-you-dare-awake-me-or-I'll-murder-you dream, thanks to the sound of something clattering to the floor. He grunted a vulgar curse word and opened his eyes, then gasped.

Yugi stood above and beside him, pointing his wand at him. Malik blinked.

"Yugi what're you doing--!" he started, but, to his horror, was cut off.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Yugi stated. Malik gasped and the bright green light hit his body. He let out a cry of pain, but he was still alive. He gasped in and out, surprised by the shockwave of pain that had shot through his entire body, but thankful that he had the stone Marik gave him in his pocket. He kept it with him at all times, just in case.

"Yugi! What the hell are you doing!" he yelled, awaking most of the boys in the room. "Where'd you learn that spell!" Yugi didn't answer. He stared at Malik through soulless eyes, ones with no emotion or thought.

_Kill…kill…kill…kill…kill!_

Malik glared at him, then gasped, noticing the necklace around Yugi's neck. Strangely enough, his skin was literally growing over it as Malik watched! Finally, the necklace was completely embedded in his skin and there was no way it was coming off.

"Dammit, Yugi, why'd you put that on!" Malik demanded, getting out of bed and grabbing his wand. "_Expelliarmus_!" Yugi's wand shot out of his hand and clattered to the floor. Ryou was now awake and he quickly grabbed Yugi's wand before his comrade could pick it up. Ryou pointed Yugi's own wand at him dangerously.

"I'm really sorry, Yugi, but you can't just try to kill Malik like that. You know that _Avada Kedavra_ is unforgivable!" he said. Yugi simply glared at them.

"Yugi, wake up! You're either sleepwalking or controlled! So get a hold of yourself!" Malik commanded. Reaper cawed loudly, as if he was laughing.

"Wha's goin' on?" Ron slurred, rubbing his eyes. Yugi suddenly grabbed Ryou's wand from Ryou's bedside table and pointed it at Malik again.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" he yelled again, and Malik was hit by the beam.

"No!" Harry cried, watching as Malik was thrown back against the wall. Malik let out a cry as his back came in contact with the wall and he glared, standing up.

"Dammit, Yugi! Now I know that something's wrong with you!" he growled. Harry and Ron, along with the other boys, stared at him in awe. Malik smirked, noticing Yugi's confused expression. He took out the small, jade stone and held it up so Yugi could see it.

"Recognize this, Voldemort?" he said, grinning. "You can't kill me with that spell." Yugi glared, looking furious.

"You're kidding! He's under the _Imperius_ curse?" one boy exclaimed. "He's being controlled by You-Know-Who!"

"Exactly," Ryou said. "I knew this as soon as I saw the necklace from my desk missing and those odd shapes on Yugi's neck. It's under his very skin. And it looks as if the necklace is 'programming' him to kill Malik first, then possibly me, and maybe even Harry, but I'm guessing that Voldemort wants Yugi to capture him so he can do that himself. We know what's going on, Voldemort, if you're listening."

"We're lucky that he doesn't know to turn around and attack you, Ryou," Malik said, relieved that Voldemort had inserted a "program" into the necklace. "He won't attack anyone but me. Go on, Yugi! Attack me!" he said, grinning.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Yugi yelled. Malik let out yet another short cry, but he was still alive.

"Someone, get Dumbledore or someone!" Neville said quickly. Harry and Ron nodded and ran out of the room.

"Everyone stay down," Ryou commanded, still holding the wand at Yugi. "_Expelliarmus_!" he said, and the wand flew out of Yugi's hand. Ryou quickly snatched it out of the air and slipped it into his pocket. Yugi growled murderously and charged at Malik. Malik gasped, and aimed his wand at Yugi.

"Uh…uh," he stammered, then a word, a horrible, horrible word popped into his mind. "C- _crucio_!" Yugi let out a cry and fell to the ground, twitching and screaming. Malik gasped and pulled away his wand at once, and Yugi stopped twitching. "Oh, gods, Yugi, I'm sorry," he stammered, hurrying to the side of his friend. Yugi snarled and grabbed Malik's neck with both hands, trying to choke him. Malik gripped Yugi's arms, trying to pull them off, but his grip was surprisingly strong.

Tigerwings immediately hissed, flapped up, and flew straight at Yugi's face, spitting and growling. He scratched him multiple times until Yugi let go. Ryou walked over and murmured a spell that froze Yugi stiff. Malik breathed in and out erratically, but Tigerwings comforted him by nuzzling him and licking him.

"He's not the Yugi that we know any more," Ryou murmured, kneeling next to his frozen friend. "That necklace is definitely cursed. It has to come out if we ever want to see him as he normally is—the kind, caring Yugi that we know. Malik, how'd you learn how to use that curse?" Malik shook his head, still shaken.

"I remember reading of the unforgivable curses, and that was one of them," he whispered. "Gods, it was like it was a reflex!" He tucked his legs to his chest.

"Don't worry, we won't tell a soul," Ryou assured him. "You didn't mean to do it, and if nobody knows then nothing will happen." Malik thanked him. Suddenly, Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall rushed into the room. Following them were Harry and Ron.

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked, looking at Yugi's frozen body on the ground.

"He went berserk!" one boy piped up. "He was using the killing curse on Malik!"

"Then why," Snape started, sauntering into the room and in front of Malik, "is he still alive?" Everyone looked to each other and shrugged. Malik gulped slightly. Snape noticed the small bump created by the stone in Malik's pajama pocket. He instantly reached into it and yanked out the stone. "Ah-hah. So this is why you're not dead," he murmured, looking over the stone. Malik glared.

"Th-that stone was a gift!" he yelled.

"Oh really. From who?" Snape replied coolly. Malik gulped.

"A man I met one day while in Diagon alley. He helped me find the correct cauldron size, then he gave me this stone. He had a hood over his face, so I never saw what he really looked like," he lied.

"I see, I see. You do realize that this stone is in the shape of the Dark Mark!" Snape yelled, loudly enough for the world to hear. That made the boys in the room gasp, obviously surprised.

"I-I've never seen this 'Dark Mark' thingy," Malik said nervously.

"It is the sign of the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Surely you know who he is, correct?" Snape growled. Malik nodded.

"Now, Severus, calm down. He obviously didn't know what the Dark Mark was, but let him keep it. We know that he isn't a Death Eater already, and he's a new student. Go easy on him," Dumbledore said kindly. Malik sighed with relief. "And besides, if that was the thing that protected him from the killing curse, then by all means it's a good thing and whoever gave it to him must have been an Aura or something." Snape's eye twitched.

"Fine," he hissed and tossed the stone at Malik, who quickly caught it.

"Now then, what happened to little Yugi here?" Dumbledore said. Ryou told him everything, leaving out the bit about Malik using the Cruciatus curse on him. "I see, I see. Well, we'll take him to madam Pomfrey, she'll be able to remove that necklace."

"Thank you, sir," Malik and Ryou said gratefully. Dumbledore just smiled and picked up Yugi.

"Now all of you go to bed. Tomorrow you'll be going to Hogsmeade," he said. They nodded and climbed into bed. Ryou looked to Malik, slightly worried.

"I don't think that a spell will remove the necklace," he said softly. Malik blinked.

"Why do you say that?" he replied.

"Because, well, think about it. If Voldemort's as smart as people say he is, then he must have cursed it so a spell can't remove it," Ryou said.

"Then maybe surgery would work?" Malik replied with a shrug.

"Madam Pomfrey has relied on spells and magic though her years of medical care and such. She wouldn't have studied surgery. It might be a while before we get to see Yugi again," Ryou said.

"Oh…now I see," Malik mumbled. "Poor Yugi! I wonder how Yami will take this, although," he added.

-

Yugi was strapped to the bed and unfrozen. He struggled to get away, then laughed manically. Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall stepped out of the room, all a bit freaked out at the sound of his erratic laughter.

"Kill-ing, kill-ing, mud-bloods die-ing. Dark Lord laugh-ing, laugh-ing, laugh-ing!" he sang in a strange, high-pitched tone. "World is pure, world is clean! Af-ter Mug-gles leave the scene!" He repeated this over and over again, his eerie words echoing throughout the dark, empty room.

TBC

Mew: -sweatdrops- Okay, _that_ really creeped me out. –hides from Yugi-

Draiku: Coward! Come out and face him!

Mew: NOOO! –screams and thrashes about-

Yoko: -sweatdrops- Uh…R&R, please! And ignore Mew's screaming while you do so as well.


End file.
